Linkage of an X-chromosome cleft palate gene

Abstract

Many congenital malformations, such as cleft palate and neural tube defects, have a multifactorial origin involving both environmental and genetic factors. Conditions such as these may be exclusively monogenic, polygenic or environmental, but in most cases both genetic and environmental factors are involved¹. This study describes the sub-chromosomal localization of a single gene defect causing cleft palate and ankyloglossia (tongue-tied) in a large Icelandic family. This defect is a model for the analysis of other neural-crest malformations that show a more complex multi-factorial inheritance pattern.