Decreased number of glucocorticoid receptors in dermal fibroblasts from individuals with facial clefting: a preliminary report.

Glucocorticoids are potent inducers of cleft palate in various laboratory animals. Recent work has demonstrated that the susceptibility of mice to the teratogenic action of glucocorticoids is strongly correlated with the number of fetal receptors for glucocorticoids. In the present study we have investigated whether there is a difference in levels of glucocorticoid receptors between individuals with or without cleft lip +/- cleft palate or isolated cleft palate. We have found that dermal fibroblasts from the affected individuals have significantly fewer glucocorticoid receptors than do fibroblasts from unaffected persons. This decrease in receptors may reflect a basic hormonal defect in these individuals, which presumably could play a role in the etiology of facial clefting.