We found that cleft palate pathogenesis in Pax9-deficient embryos is accompanied by significantly reduced expression of Axin2, an endogenous target of canonical Wnt signaling, in the developing palatal mesenchyme, particularly in the posterior regions of the palatal shelves.
Comparison between cleft and control groups showed a trend for association for AXIN2 with incomplete cleft palate (p = .006) and CDH1 with unilateral CL/P (p = .03 for left CL/P and p = .04 for right CL/P).