Epithelial breakdown in the palatal processes of mouse fetuses with spontaneous cleft lip and palate.
Contact and fusion of the palatal processes are prevented by mechanical obstruction in A/J mice with spontaneous cleft lip and palate. Histological examination of cleft-lip fetuses revealed a very thin epithelial covering on the tip of the palatal process at day 15 1/2 of gestation, when the palate normally undergoes fusion, but at day 16 the palatal epithelium was completely disrupted, exposing the underlying mesenchyme. This epithelial discontinuity lasted only one day--by day 17 epithelial continuity was reestablished. These findings support the hypothesis that contact between the palatal shevles is not a prerequisite for epithelial degeneration.
D000818:Animals; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000209:etiology*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000209:etiology*; D004848:Epithelium / Q000196:embryology; D005865:Gestational Age; D051379:Mice; D010159:Palate / Q000196:embryology*