No abstract

The findings of the present study suggested that genetic variants of folic acid metabolic genes may modulate maternal susceptibility for having an offspring with NSCL/P.

Nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL ± P) is the most common orofacial birth defect, exhibiting variable prevalence around the world, often attributed to ethnic and environmental differences. Linkage analyses and genome-wide association studies have identified several genomic susceptibility regions for NSCL ± P, mostly in European-derived or Asian populations. Genetic predisposition to NSCL ± P is ethnicity-dependent, and the genetic basis of susceptibility to NSCL ± P likely varies among populations. The population of Brazil is highly admixed, with highly variable ancestry; thus, the genetic determinants of NSCL ± P susceptibility may be quite different. This study tested association of 8 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), previously identified by genome-wide studies in other populations, with NSCL ± P in a Brazilian population with high African ancestry. SNPs rs560426, rs642961, rs1530300, rs987525, rs3758249, rs7078160, rs17085106, and rs13041247 were genotyped in 293 Brazilian patients with NSCL ± P and 352 unaffected Brazilian controls. Each sample was also genotyped for 40 biallelic short insertion/deletion polymorphic markers to characterize genetic ancestry. The average African ancestry background was 31.1% for the NSCL ± P group and 36.7% for the control group. After adjustment for ancestry and multiple testing, the minor alleles of rs3758249 (OR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.25-2.01, P = 0.0001) and rs7078160 (OR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.21-2.07, P = 0.0002) were significantly associated with risk of NSCL ± P. Polymorphisms located in IRF6 (rs642961) and 8q24 (rs1530300 and rs987525) showed marginal associations in this Brazilian population with high African ancestry. These results indicate that rs3758249 at 9q22 and rs7078160 at 10q25.3 represent risk loci for NSCL ± P in the Brazilian population with high African ancestry.

Amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) is a group of hereditary disorders that affect the quality and/or quantity of dental enamel. This paper describes the clinicopathological features of a patient who was born of consanguineous parents and who presented with oral alterations, including yellow and misshapen teeth, intrapulpal calcifications, delayed tooth eruption, and gum enlargement. Scanning electron microscopy of the teeth revealed hypoplastic enamel, and a renal ultrasound detected bilateral nephrocalcinosis, leading to a diagnosis of AI and nephrocalcinosis syndrome. Since nephrocalcinosis is often asymptomatic and can be associated with impaired renal function, dentists who see children with generalized and thin hypoplastic AI should consider a renal ultrasound scan and referral to a nephrologist, if appropriate. Children with nephrocalcinosis should also be considered for a dental check.

Background: Although genome‐wide association studies have identified several susceptibility loci for nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) in populations around the world, the role of most loci is unknown in the highly heterogeneous Brazilian population. Methods: To determine the association of 7 markers that showed genome‐wide significant association in Brazilians with NSCL/P, we conducted a structured association study conditioned upon the individual ancestry proportions to evaluate markers at 1p36 (rs742071), 2p21 (rs7590268), 3p11.1 (rs7632427), 8q21.3 (rs12543318), 13q31.1 (rs8001641), 15q22.2 (rs1873147), and 17q22 (rs227731) in 505 patients with NSCL/P and 594 healthy controls recruited from 2 different geographical regions of Brazil. The polymorphisms were genotyped by TaqMan 5′‐exonuclease allelic discrimination assay, and each sample was independently typed for 40 biallelic short insertion/deletion markers to characterize the genomic ancestry. Results: After Bonferroni correction for multiple tests, significant associations with NSCL/P were observed for rs742071, rs1873147, and rs227731. However, the frequency of the risk alleles varied between the geographical regions, according to the proportions of European and African genomic ancestry. The group enriched by European ancestry showed significant association with rs227731 (p = 0.001), whereas the group with high African ancestry was significantly associated with rs1873147 polymorphism (p = 0.005). The significant association with rs742071 was only detected in the combined sample (p = 0.005). Conclusion: The findings of the present study revealed the associations of 1p36 (rs742071), 15q22 (rs1873147), and 17p22 (rs227731) with NSCL/P in the Brazilian population, and further confirmed that the genetic heterogeneity of NSCL/P may be related to the different ethnic background of the affected individuals. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 100:36–42, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.