en 30090211 <p>Background: Nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate (NSCL/P) is the most common orofacial birth defect, often attributed to ethnic and environmental differences. Up to now, linkage analyses and genome-wide association studies have identified several genomic susceptibility regions for NSCL/P. The <em>WNT</em> genes including <em>WNT3</em> are strong candidates for NSCL/P, since they are involved in regulating mid-face development and upper lip fusion. This study tested association of the WNT3 polymorphisms, rs3809857 G/T and rs9890413 G/A, with the risk of NSCL/P in a population of Iranian infants.<br /> Methods: The allelic and genotypic frequencies for each participant were determined in 113 unrelated Iranian subjects with NSCL/P and 220 control subjects using PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) methods. A p-value of 0.05 was considered statistically significant.&nbsp;<br /> Results: The <em>WNT3</em> rs3809857 GT genotype was significantly lower (p=0.039, OR=0.55, 95% CI=0.30-0.97) in the NSCL/P (21.2%) than the control group (30.42%). For the WNT3 rs9890413 G/A polymorphism, neither genotype nor allele frequencies were significantly different between the case and control groups.<br /> Conclusion: Our results indicated that the <em>WNT3</em> rs3809857 GT genotype may have a protective effect against NSCL/P in Iranian population.</p> Genome wide association study, Cleft lip/palate, Polymorphism, WNT3 168 172 https://www.ajmb.org/En/Article.aspx?id=323 https://www.ajmb.org/PDF/En/FullText/323.pdf HomaFarrokhi KaribozorgDepartment of Biochemistry, Islamic Azad University, Damghan Branch, Damghan, Iran91NahidMasoudianDepartment of Biochemistry, Islamic Azad University, Damghan Branch, Damghan, Iran1298KioomarsSaliminejadReproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran393AsgharEbadifarDentofacial Deformities Research Center, Research Institute of Dental Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran891KooroshKamaliReproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran89Hamid RezaKhorram KhorshidGenetic Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran42