New release: Mandible vs tongue involvement in cleft palate in mouse models
Published 22 April 2026
A new dataset is now available on FaceBase from Goodwin, Green, and colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh. Their study examines the respective contributions of mandibular hypoplasia and tongue malposition to cleft palate in Pierre Robin sequence (PRS), using two complementary mouse models. A related manuscript has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Dental Research.
Comparison of palate outcomes in the Sox9fl/fl;mtHand2Cre Pierre Robin sequence model (left) and the DTA/+;mtHand2Cre micrognathia/microglossia model (right). Image courtesy of Alice Fitzgerald Goodwin.
Contributors: Alice Fitzgerald Goodwin, Jeremy Green (University of Pittsburgh)
Description:
To investigate cleft palate in Pierre Robin sequence (PRS), we generated a mouse model with Sox9 deleted specifically in the mandibular mesenchyme (Sox9fl/fl;mtHand2Cre), which resulted in mandibular hypoplasia and retrognathia, palatal shelf elevation delay, and fully penetrant cleft of the secondary palate. To determine the relative contributions of mandible vs tongue malposition to cleft palate in PRS, we generated a micrognathia and microglossia model (DTA/+;mtHand2Cre). The majority of these animals had a normally formed palate, suggesting that tongue obstruction of palatal shelf elevation is the primary contributor to cleft palate in PRS.
Data deposited on FaceBase include microCT scans of Sox9fl/fl;mtHand2Cre and control embryos at E18.5; H&E-stained coronal sections at E12.5, E13.5, E14.5, and E16.5; proliferation and apoptosis assays at E12.5 and E14.5 in the Meckel’s cartilage; immunofluorescence with antibodies against Pax7 and MHC at E14.5; RNAscope with probes against osteogenic markers at E14.5; palatal shelf explant studies at E13.5; and H&E staining and TUNEL apoptosis staining of DTA/+;mtHand2Cre and control embryos.
FaceBase Dataset:
Alice Fitzgerald Goodwin, Jeremy Green. Mandible vs tongue involvement in cleft palate in mouse models. FaceBase Consortium https://doi.org/10.25550/AB-SJQA (2026).
Publication:
Alice Fitzgerald Goodwin, Jeremy Green; Intrinsic tension drives palatal shelf reorientation post tongue retraction. Journal of Dental Research 2026. (accepted April 21, 2026 — DOI to be added upon publication)