Clue 1: Orient yourself
Why must the protection exist before contact?
Use the labels and the picture's left-to-right, near-to-far, or before-and-after order. Name only what you can point to.
The question
How can one faulty instruction make two mouth surfaces stick at the wrong time?
Why it matters: Genetic results can change family counseling and research decisions. They must be interpreted without turning risk into destiny or an uncertain variant into a diagnosis. Today you practice the professional reasoning behind that work: The IRF6 network helps oral epithelial cells form periderm, preventing wrong adhesions before correct fusion.
On your WebXam
Tracing a gene to a cell behavior to a structural outcome
For life
When something appears after you remove a signal, look for the brake that was holding it down.
Principle: Held down, not gone
Five principles we return to
Having it is not using it
Same instructions, different switches
Same look, different cause
Change one thing and watch
Boss or doorman?
Decides the result or only allows it
Held down, not gone
Remove the brake and it returns
Many roads, one ending
One result can begin many ways
Try the everyday version first
Temporary release paper protects adhesive surfaces
Release paper covers a sticky surface during storage and placement. It prevents early contact, then peels away when the correct surfaces are ready to join.
Do not jump to the biology yet. Treat the picture as a small system. Track its parts, follow one change at a time, and keep more than one explanation open until the picture supplies a way to separate them.
Clue 2: Trace one change
What happens if the wrong surfaces stick first?
Follow one object, stage, or path. Point to the first place where the situation changes instead of jumping to the ending.
Clue 3: Keep the cause open
When can the protective layer safely change?
List more than one explanation that still fits. Name the extra observation that would help you separate those possibilities.
Now inspect the illustration
Work from the visible evidence. A useful answer names the part of the picture that supports it and leaves unknown causes open.
- 1Why must the protection exist before contact?
- 2What happens if the wrong surfaces stick first?
- 3When can the protective layer safely change?
Tier 1 check
Finish with the everyday model
Use the everyday picture to answer today's question in plain words: How can one faulty instruction make two mouth surfaces stick at the wrong time?
You can complete today's required check without opening the technical details below.
Ready for the real names? Optional tier 2
Technical rules and limits
Rule 1: Differentiate a temporary protective surface.
Rule 2: Prevent wrong adhesion before enabling correct fusion.
Rule 3: A cell-autonomous defect can create a tissue-level block.
Where the analogy stops: Periderm is living tissue controlled by a network, not manufactured paper.
Carry the previous idea forward
IRF6 works in a regulatory network, so similar phenotypes can arise when different connected genes fail.
Today's technical takeaway
The IRF6 network helps oral epithelial cells form periderm, preventing wrong adhesions before correct fusion.
Now map the same rules onto biology
Connect IRF6 genotype to periderm cell behavior
Release paper
Periderm
Manufacturing instruction
IRF6 regulatory network
Wrong early sticking
Abnormal oral epithelial adhesion
Educational illustration, not a clinical photograph or diagnostic result. Use the labeled evidence cards and claim ceiling.
Mateo's case file: evidence supplied in this lesson
GEN14-E1
IRF6 is active in oral epithelium and periderm differentiation.
Why it matters: The gene acts in a relevant cell type.
GEN14-E2
Irf6-deficient models lose normal periderm and develop abnormal oral adhesions.
Why it matters: Gene loss changes a specific cell behavior.
GEN14-E3
Those adhesions can block palatal elevation and closure.
Why it matters: The cell defect connects to the tissue phenotype.
Make the clinical decision
You are building the molecular-to-anatomy chain for the case board.
The board requires one sequence from gene to cell to tissue outcome.
AIRF6 network failure, periderm defect, wrong adhesion, blocked closure.
BIRF6 instantly creates a hole in the palate.
CPeriderm has no relationship to fusion.
Choose the sequence and cite cell plus tissue evidence.
Evidence required
GEN14-E1 + GEN14-E2 Claim ceiling
You may explain an established model mechanism. You may not claim Mateo has IRF6 loss without a result.Go deeper Optional tier 3
Everything required for today is above. Open these only if you want the explainer, source trail, or download files.
The everyday model and Tier 1 check are the complete required path for this lesson.
Use these checks to keep your place. They are not turned in through the portal.
Check off as you finish
- Worked through the everyday picture and answered its three questions.
- Completed the Tier 1 check in plain words.
Turn in: Genetics lesson 14: What Does IRF6 Actually Do in the Embryo?
Go to Schoology to turn this in.
Submit one PDF. Put your first and last name in the document header. Name the file: FirstName LastName - Assignment Title - YYYY-MM-DD.pdf.
Open Schoology PDF upload helpIf you cannot get in, see Mr. Mendoza. Do not skip the work.
Optional legacy technical materials Open only if you want the original notes, vocabulary, artifact, and CER work
Before this page, you should know
- A is a set of genes that switch one another on and off to run a process.
- A is a that turns other genes on or off; IRF6, GRHL3, and p63 are all factors.
If not, review
Today's new idea is only
IRF6 drives cells to differentiate so the palatal shelves can reach the and fuse; without it, surfaces stick wrongly and the stays open.
Goal: Connect the IRF6 gene to a single cell behavior, , and trace how losing that behavior turns a gene change into a physical .
Know by the end
- The is the sheet of cells covering surfaces; its outermost layer is the , a non-stick protective coating.
- is a cell maturing into a specialized type that does a specific job.
- IRF6 drives so shelves avoid sticking to the wrong partner (the tongue), reach the , and fuse cleanly.
- Rescue experiments showed IRF6 must be present in the cells themselves, so it acts cell-autonomously.
- You can check this expression evidence yourself: GEO ( Omnibus) shows whether IRF6 is switched on in , and FaceBase shows exactly where in the developing face it is active.
1
The cell behavior IRF6 controls
Model start: The covers surfaces of the , and its outermost layer is the , a non-stick coating. is a cell maturing into a specialized type.
- IRF6's real job is to drive the to ____ so the palatal shelves have a proper surface.
- With a working , the shelves avoid sticking to the wrong partner (the tongue), reach the , and ____ cleanly.
- Without IRF6 the never matures, surfaces stick where they should not, and the trapped shelves cannot reach the ____.
2
Cell-autonomous
- Rescue experiments showed IRF6 must be present in the ____ cells themselves.
- A gene that has to act inside the very cell that needs it is called ____.
Everything you need for today is on this page. These links are optional.
What to read
Read the short plain-language explanation written for this lesson. Plain-language explainer for this lesson
Why this source matters
This explanation gives you the background for today's idea without making you decode a research paper: IRF6 drives cells to differentiate so the palatal shelves can reach the and fuse; without it, surfaces stick wrongly and the stays open.
Words to unlock first
Reading moves
- 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.
Stop point
Stop after the final 'Use it now' section. The research citations are available separately for advanced readers.
Your output
Write one claim-evidence sentence: state the main idea, then name the example or evidence that supports it.
Where this fits
Tested on (Ohio WebXam)
Genetics of Disease · 072130
PLTW lesson
MI · Genetics domain · From gene to cell behavior; molecular basis of development
WebXam domain
Molecular and Genetic Technology
Evidence to produce
Brief the Developmental (PBS) team. In three or four sentences, explain the chain from an IRF6 variant down to a physical cleft: variant to broken protein to lost cell behavior to failed fusion. Use the words periderm, differentiate, and fusion correctly.
Lab / skill
Medical Interventions (MI) · Principles of Biomedical Science (PBS)
Everything required for today's decision is already in the case file and plain-language explainer. The links below are original papers and database records for teachers and advanced readers, not assigned student reading.
- Kousa et al. 2017, IRF6 in basal epithelium partially rescues Irf6 knockout mice (Dev Dyn)
- Carroll et al. 2020, Irf6-Esrp1/2 axis in midface morphogenesis (Development)
- Liu et al. 2015, Irf6 directly regulates Klf17 and Klf4 (Hum Mol Genet)
- What GEO is and how to browse gene-expression data (NCBI)
- About FaceBase, the craniofacial data hub
- Claim: IRF6's job is to drive needed for (agree or disagree).
- Evidence: When IRF6 is removed in mice, the fails to ____ and the shelves form ____ to the tongue.
- Reasoning: Losing one cell behavior, , turns a gene change into a physical because the shelves can no longer reach the and ____.
How this is graded (rubric)
For: Brief the Developmental (PBS) team. In three or four sentences, explain the chain from an IRF6 variant down to a physical cleft: variant to broken protein to lost cell behavior to failed fusion. Use the words periderm, differentiate, and fusion correctly.
| Criterion | Proficient | Developing | Beginning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complete | Every required part of the artifact is present and filled in. | Most parts are present, but one is missing or left blank. | Several parts are missing. |
| Accurate | The science and data are correct and match the evidence. | Mostly correct, with a small factual slip. | Key science or data is wrong. |
| Scientific reasoning (CER) | States a claim, backs it with specific evidence, and explains the reasoning. | Has a claim and evidence, but the reasoning is thin or missing. | Gives an answer with no evidence or reasoning. |
| Professional communication | Clear, organized, and labeled the way a clinician or scientist would write it. | Readable but disorganized or missing labels. | Hard to follow. |
| Submitted | Turned in through the route named under Submit here and confirmed. | Turned in, but in the wrong place or unconfirmed. | Not turned in. |
How the model answer scores against this rubric
- CompleteProficient: Nothing is left blank: the model fills every part of "Brief the Developmental (PBS) team. In three or four sentences, explain the chain from an IRF6 variant down to a physical cleft: variant to broken protein to lost cell behavior to failed fusion. Use the words periderm, differentiate, and fusion correctly.".
- AccurateProficient: Every number and claim matches the case evidence.
- Scientific reasoning (CER)Proficient: It names a claim, cites the specific evidence, and explains the reasoning, not just the answer.
- Professional communicationProficient: It is organized and labeled like a real chart note.
- SubmittedProficient: It would be attached to your class form or handed in, and confirmed.
What's next: We found that IRF6 makes cells differentiate so the shelves can fuse, and without it they stick wrongly and stay open. But a strong story is not proof. How do scientists actually prove that losing IRF6 causes the , rather than just appearing alongside it? We chase that next.