Same DNA, Different Outcome
Take the reading one piece at a time. For each piece: read it once, underline the sentence that says what happens, then look up any word in the list. Tap a word to see its definition.
Piece 1 of 3
Researchers compared DNA from people with isolated (nonsyndromic) cleft lip and palate to controls in two countries (Brazil, UK) (PMID:28550290).
Piece 2 of 3
They found 578 methylation variable positions linked to nonsyndromic CL/P, concentrated in active, regulatory regions and enriched in craniofacial pathways including WNT/beta-catenin and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathway. Most strikingly, in families carrying a known cleft risk mutation, the relatives who actually clefted had higher promoter methylation of CDH1 (E-cadherin) than relatives with the same mutation who did NOT cleft.
Piece 3 of 3
A partner finding: microRNAs such as miR-140 must be at just the right level, and miR-140 is down-regulated by smoking in palate cells, so a variant plus passive smoking raised cleft risk more than either factor alone (PMID:28420997).
Reading the Research
- Skim the title and abstract first to get the gist.
- Circle the one sentence that states the main claim.
- Box the evidence the authors give for that claim.
- Mark one sentence that confuses you, and move on.
Now put it together: In one or two sentences, say what this whole reading is telling you about Mateo. Then go back to the lesson and fill in the guided notes.