title: Gli3-deficient mice exhibit cleft palate associated with abnormal tongue development.
abstract: Palatogenesis depends on appropriate growth, elevation, and fusion of the palatal shelves and aberration in these processes can lead to palatal clefting. We observed a high incidence of palate clefting in mice deficient in Gli3, known for its role as a repressor in the absence of Shh signaling. In contrast with several current mouse models of cleft palate, Meckel's cartilage extension, cranial neural crest migration, palatal shelf proliferation, apoptosis, and key signaling components mediated by Shh, Bmp, Fgf, and Tgfbeta, appeared unaffected in Gli3-/- mice. Palatal clefting in Gli3-/- mice was consistently associated with tongue abnormalities such as failure to flatten and improper positioning, implicating a critical role of Gli3 and normal tongue morphogenesis for timely palatal shelf elevation and joining. Furthermore, Gli3-/- palatal shelves grown in roller cultures without tongue can fuse suggesting that the abnormal tongue is likely an impediment for palatal shelf joining in Gli3-/- mutants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Steven L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Goudy
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ketova
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Litingtung
authors.forename: Chin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chiang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D051741:Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014059:Tongue / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000074290:Zinc Finger Protein Gli3
chemical_list: C465571:Gli3 protein, mouse; D051741:Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D000074290:Zinc Finger Protein Gli3