Non-syndromic cleft palate: analysis of TBX22 exon 5 gene mutation

This study aimed to investigate the mutation of T-box transcription factor TBX22 exon 5 in children with non-syndromic cleft palate. Four mutations in TBX22 exon 5 in X-linked cleft palate with ankyloglossia (CPX) patients had been identified in the previous studies. The study used the syndromic cleft palate susceptibility gene as a candidate gene for more common non-syndromic cleft palate.

A family-based study with parents and their children composing parent-child trios was performed in this research. Twenty children with non-syndromic cleft palate and 38 healthy parents were enrolled. TBX22 exon 5 was examined by polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and DNA sequencing. The peaks of the sequence diagrams were analyzed using chromas221 and the results of sequencing were proofread using dnastar6.13. The index of the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) was calculated through McNemar testing.

We have not found the presence of any mutation of TBX22 exon 5 reported in syndromic cleft palate patients in references. The index of TDT was 0.56 and showed no statistically significant difference (p<0.05). No TBX22 exon 5 mutation was found in the 20 children.

Mutation of TBX22 exon 5 is not associated with non-syndromic cleft palate in the population of Jiangzhe areas in China.