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Review
. 2019 Oct;98(41):e17468.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000017468.

Microtia epigenetics: An overview of review and new viewpoint

Xia Chen  1 , Ruhong Zhang
Affiliations
Review

Microtia epigenetics: An overview of review and new viewpoint

Xia Chen et al. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019 Oct.

Abstract

Introduction: Microtia is a congenital malformation of the external and middle ear caused by the abnormal development of the first and second zygomatic arch and the first sulcus. There is currently no consensus concerning the pathogenesis and etiology of microtia; genetic and environmental factors may play a role. Gene-based studies have focused on finding the genes that cause microtia and on gene function defects. However, no clear pathogenic genes have so far been identified. Microtia is multifactorial; gene function defects cannot completely explain its pathogenesis. In recent years, the epigenetic aspects of microtia have begun to receive attention.

Conclusions: Analysis of the existing data suggests that certain key genes and pathways may be the underlying cause of congenital microtia. However, further exploration is needed.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Experimentally verified target genes of hsa-miR-140-3p identified in microtia.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Gene ontology analysis results in three groups: biological process group, cellular component group and molecular function group.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Top 30 enriched GO terms. GO = gene ontology.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Significant enriched KEGG terms in different classes of target genes in microtia. KEGG = kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Top 30 enriched pathway terms of target genes in microtia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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