Genetic analysis of spontaneous and induced palatal slit in C57BL/6 mice.

The results of experiments designed to elucidate the nature of the genetic factors underlying the palatal slit defect in C57BL/6 mice indicate that probably two loci in females and four in males determine the difference in susceptibility to the spontaneous defect between the C57BL/6 and SWV/BcTa strains of mice. Moreover, it appears that these are not the same genes determining the difference between these same strains in palatal slit response to maternal treatment with triamcinolone. Additional evidence is presented to support the view that in the C57BL/6 strain the triamcinolone-induced palatal slit and cleft palate responses are not correlated.