Study on the association between transforming growth factor alpha gene TaqI variant and cleft lip with or without cleft palate

To study the association between transforming growth factor alpha gene (TGFalpha) TaqI variant and nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (nsCL/P) in Chinese population. TGFalpha TaqI variant was detected using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism for DNA samples of the 149 triads with nsCL/P affected child. We performed the Transmission/disequilibrium test and the family-based association study (FBAT) to identify the associations between this variant and risk of nsCL/P. Significant distortion of C2 allele at TGFalpha TaqI locus in nsCL/P groups (P > 0.05) was not found. In the family-based association test, C2 allele and offspring C2C1 genotype was not found to be significantly associated with an increase risk of nsCL/P (P > 0.05). Our findings did not suggest an association between offspring TGFalpha TaqI variant and the increased risk of nsCL/P in Chinese population.