Bridging the Divide? Technique sheds light on cleft palate gene
A new approach has enabled researchers to prevent cleft palate in mice genetically engineered to develop that birth defect. The scientists used a technique that they crafted to identify the short period when a particular gene is turned on as a fetus develops. The tool may give clues to the cause of cleft palate and other birth defects in people.
The process that creates a complex, multicellular animal out of a single fertilized egg cell typically relies on the coordinated activity of thousands of genes. Individual genes must create proteins precisely when they’re needed, and the genes often turn on and off more than once during development.