Identification of susceptibility genes in non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate using whole-exome sequencing

Background Non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) is among the most common congenital malformations. The etiology of NSCL/P remains poorly characterized owing to its complex genetic heterogeneity. The objective of this study was to identify genetic variants that increase susceptibility to NSCL/P. Material and Methods Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed in 8 fetuses with NSCL/P in China. Bioinformatics analysis was performed using commercially available software. Variants detected by WES were validated by Sanger sequencing. Results By filtering out synonymous variants in exons, we identified average 8575 nonsynonymous single nucleotide variants (SNVs). We subseq…