Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40631876›Full record

ArticleBirth defects research2025

Functional Annotation of De Novo Variants Found Near GWAS Loci Associated With Cleft Lip With or Without Cleft Palate.

Sarah W Curtis, Laura E Cook, Kitt Paraiso, Axel Visel, Justin L Cotney, Jeffrey C Murray, Terri H Beaty, Mary L Marazita, Jenna C Carlson, Elizabeth J Leslie-Clarkson

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Birth defects research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Comprehensive analysis ofmedRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Sarah W CurtisDepartment of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Laura E CookEnvironmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, National Laboratsory, Berkeley, California, USA.
Kitt ParaisoEnvironmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, National Laboratsory, Berkeley, California, USA.
Axel ViselEnvironmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, National Laboratsory, Berkeley, California, USA.
Justin L CotneyDepartment of Surgery, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Jeffrey C MurrayDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
Terri H BeatyDepartment of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Mary L MarazitaDepartment of Oral Biology, Center for Craniofacial and Dental Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Jenna C CarlsonDepartment of Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Elizabeth J Leslie-ClarksonDepartment of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5735-1712

Funding

Extending the Phenotype of Nonsyndromic Orofacial CleftsR01DE016148 · NIDCR · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI MARAZITA, MARY L., WEINBERG, SETH M · 2004 to 2018
$19.7M
Molecular Genetic Epidemiology of Cleft Lip and PalateR37DE008559 · NIDCR · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · PI MURRAY, JEFFREY C · 2004 to 2013
$6.8M
Functional tests of non-coding DNA variants associated with risk for orofacial clefting.R01DE027362 · NIDCR · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI CORNELL, ROBERT AARON · 2018 to 2022
$2.2M
The role of noncoding regulatory variants in orofacial cleftsR03DE030118 · NIDCR · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI LESLIE-CLARKSON, ELIZABETH JANE · 2021 to 2022
$313k
Sequencing of significant signals from cleft lip GWASU01HG005925 · NHGRI · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · PI MURRAY, JEFFREY C · 2010 to 2010
$238k
Genetic modifiers of orofacial cleft subtypes in familiesF32DE032260 · NIDCR · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI CURTIS, SARAH WHELAN · 2022 to 2023
$88k
National Institutes of Health (NIH) F32-DE032260National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01-DE027362National Institutes of Health (NIH) R03-DE030118National Institutes of Health (NIH) R37-DE08559National Institutes of Health (NIH) U01-HG005925NHGRI NIH HHS U01 HG005925NIDCR NIH HHS F32 DE032260NIDCR NIH HHS R01 DE016148NIDCR NIH HHS R01 DE027362NIDCR NIH HHS R03 DE030118NIDCR NIH HHS R37 DE008559
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOrofacial clefts (OFCs) are the most common craniofacial birth defects, affecting 1 in 700 births, and have a strong genetic basis with a high recurrence risk within families.

aimsWhile many of the previous studies have associated common, noncoding genetic loci with OFCs, previous studies on de novo variants (DNVs) in OFC cases have focused on coding variants that could have a functional impact on protein structure, and the contribution of noncoding DNVs to the formation of OFCs has largely been ignored and is not well understood. MATERIALS AND

methodsWe reanalyzed an existing dataset of DNVs from 1409 trios with OFCs that had undergone targeted sequencing of known OFC-associated loci. We then annotated these DNVs with information from datasets of predicted epigenetic function during human craniofacial development.

resultsOf the 66 DNVs called in the targeted regions in this study, 17 (25.7%) were within a predicted enhancer or promoter region. Two DNVs fell within the same enhancer region (hs1617), which is more than expected by chance (p = 0.0017). The sequence changes caused by these hs1617 DNVs are predicted to create binding sites not seen in the reference sequence for transcription factors PAX6 and ZBTB7A and to disrupt binding sites for STAT1 and STAT3. DISCUSSION: The hs1617 enhancer region is within the same topologically associated domain as HHAT, SERTAD4, and IRF6, all of which are involved in craniofacial development. All three genes are highly expressed in human neural crest cells. Knockout mice for Hhat and Irf6 have abnormal embryonic development including a cleft palate, and variants in and around IRF6 are associated with nonsyndromic and syndromic forms of OFCs in humans.

conclusionTaken together, this suggests that noncoding DNVs contribute to the genetic architecture of OFCs, with an excess of DNVs in OFC trios in enhancer regions near known OFC-associated genes. Overall, this adds to our understanding of the genetic mechanisms that underlie OFC formation.

Indexed as

Cleft LipCleft PalateAnimalsEnhancer Elements, GeneticFemaleGenetic LociGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseGenetic VariationGenome-Wide Association StudyHumansInterferon Regulatory FactorsMiceInterferon Regulatory FactorsIRF6 protein, humancleft lip and palateenhancersnoncodingrare varianttargeted sequencingtranscription factor

Identifiers

PMID40631876
PMCPMC12910610

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.