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Identification of Markers of the Midface

¹ Department of Orthodontics & Pediatric Dentistry, University of Michigan School of Dentistry 1011 N. University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1078, USA;
² Kresge Hearing Research Institute, Department of Otolaryngology/Head-Neck Surgery, University of Michigan; and
³ Physiology, Pharmacogenetics and Injury Program, Division of Basic and Translational Sciences (DBTS), National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), NIH, Building 45, Room 4AN-18B, 45 Center Drive, MSC 6402, Bethesda, MD 20892-6402, USA;

^* corresponding author, sggong{at}umich.edu.

Currently, much remains unknown of the genes that mediate the biological events during growth and fusion of the midfacial region, and the possible pathways through which these genes function. We took advantage of high-throughput microarray analysis to search for genes that may play a critical role in the growth and fusion of the midfacial region to become the primary palate. We identified several genes that were potentially expressed at different levels between tail somite (TS) 6-8 (pre-fusion) and TS 12-14 (fusion) in the 3 midfacial processes. Expression of 4 of these genes (Tbx14/15, Dickkopf-1, Fibroblast Growth Factor 8, and Keratin-18) was further verified by reverse-transcription/quantitative PCR and in situ hybridization at the 2 stages of midfacial development. With the identification of these genes, and possibly others, functional analyses can be conducted to improve our understanding of the mechanisms and pathways by which the midface forms.

KEY WORDS: primary palate • microarray analysis • RT-qPCR