Objectives: The objective of this case-control study was to evaluate the possible association between nonsyndromic cleft lip/palate (NSCLP) and 10 genetic markers in four chromosomal regions in the admixed Spanish-Amerindian Chilean population.
Setting: Study participants included 56 patients with NSCLP identified and interviewed for positive family history during the course of clinical examinations at different rehabilitation centers in the cities of Santiago and Talca, Chile. A control group of 59 normal individuals without known familial antecedents of clefting was obtained from blood bank donors of the University Hospital, University of Chile. Cases and controls belonged to low- to low-middle socioeconomic strata.
Results: Ten markers from chromosome 4p, 4q, 6p, 17q, and 19q were assessed (MSX1, D4S175, D4S192, F13A1, EDN1, D6S89, D6S105, D6S109, D17S579, BCL3). Four of them showed significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg expectations in controls, according to the exact test (D4S192, BCL3, F13A1, and D6S89). The case-control comparison by means of the CLUMP program showed significant differences only in BCL3, and D6S109 almost reached statistical significance.
Conclusions: Most of the genetic regions with positive results in Caucasian populations may not be involved in NSCLP in Chile, regardless of the positive evidence for the candidate region on chromosome 19. Similar findings have been reported recently in the Chinese population.