Cleft Palate and Aglossia Result From Perturbations in Wnt and Hedgehog Signaling.

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the molecular basis for cleft secondary palate and arrested tongue development caused by the loss of the intraflagellar transport protein, Kif3a.

Design: Kif3a mutant embryos and their littermate controls were analyzed for defects in facial development at multiple stages of embryonic development. Histology was employed to understand the effects of Kif3a deletion on palate and tongue development.