Our physical traits are typically a combination of genetic and environmental factors. That being said, the genes you inherit from your parents, whether dominant or recessive, affect your appearance. Take for example cleft lips. While it has been known that the reason for this facial defect is genetic scientists have made steps in figuring out how this defect occurs and how it can be repaired before birth.
According to the results of a recent study, it has been discovered that the neuro crest cells (those responsible for forming facial muscles) migrate from the back of the head of an embryo to the front. This might not seem like something to celebrate, but understanding this movement is the basis for coming up with therapies to correct these defects. Defects like cleft palates and facial palsy account for up to 3.2 million of the recorded congenital disabilities and are a primary cause of infant mortality if not addressed in time.
Traditional treatments also targeted front cells when correcting these defects, inhibiting the growth of cancer cells and for proper healing. The results of this study prove that the cells at the back of the head should be the target. Primarily by understanding how the facial muscles form scientists can figure out what goes wrong leading to the defects and how this can be corrected.
During this study, the embryos of fish and frogs were studied. The choice to use these animals is because the neural crests in these embryos behave very similarly to those of humans. Additionally, these embryos can be studied without causing any adverse impacts on them.
The team of researchers involved used optogenetics. They noticed that when the neuro crest cells at the back of the embryo were illuminated, they protein cable surrounding them contracted, moving them to the front of the face.
References
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181018151047.htm
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