Transcriptomics unravels molecular players shaping dorsal lip hypertrophy in the vacuum cleaner cichlid, Gnathochromis permaxillaris.

BACKGROUND: Teleosts display a spectacular diversity of craniofacial adaptations that often mediates ecological specializations. A considerable amount of research has revealed molecular players underlying skeletal craniofacial morphologies, but less is known about soft craniofacial phenotypes. Here we focus on an example of lip hypertrophy in the benthivorous Lake Tangnayika cichlid, Gnathochromis permaxillaris, considered to be a morphological adaptation to extract invertebrates out of the uppermost layer of mud bottom. We investigate the molecular and regulatory basis of lip hypertrophy in G. permaxillaris using a comparative transcriptomic approach. RESULTS: We identified a gene regulatory network involved in tissue overgrowth and cellular hypertrophy, potentially associated with the formation of a locally restricted hypertrophic lip in a teleost fish species. Of particular interest were the increased expression level of apoda and fhl2, as well as reduced expression of cyp1a, gimap8, lama5 and rasal3, in the hypertrophic lip region which have been implicated in lip formation in other vertebrates. Among the predicted upstream transcription factors, we found reduced expression of foxp1 in the hypertrophic lip region, which is known to act as repressor of cell growth and proliferation, and its function has been associated with hypertrophy of upper lip in human. CONCLUSION: Our results provide a genetic foundation for future studies of molecular players shaping soft and exaggerated, but locally restricted, craniofacial morphological changes in fish and perhaps across vertebrates. In the future, we advocate integrating gene regulatory networks of various craniofacial phenotypes to understand how they collectively govern trophic and behavioural adaptations.

Surgical Treatment of Lip Hypertrophy Secondary to Port-wine Stain / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Port-wine stain (PWS) is a congenital capillary malformations characterized by ectasia of capillaries and venules. These vascular channels progress gradually to hyperplasia of soft and hard tissues, manifested as hypertrophy of involved structures. Especially, when these lesions involve the lip, macrocheilia may develop with time. Usually vascular-specific laser treatment is used for PWS, however with no favorable effect with soft-tissue hypertrophy. Therefore, surgical treatment may be necessary in such cases. OBJECTIVE: The subjects were 9 patients who had PWS with lip hypertrophy, who were aged from 9 to 65 years. METHODS: The patients underwent cheiloplasty which include making an incision horizontally on a labial mucosa of the lip, and dissection of hypertrophied soft tissue in the front and back of the orbicularis oris muscle. RESULTS: Of the 9 patients, only 2 had postoperative complication such as mild chewing of the labial mucosa. After a minor revision surgery, these symptoms disappeared. Good to excellent results were achieved in all patients during the final postoperative cosmetic evaluation. CONCLUSION: Surgical correction is appropriate for treatment of three-dimensional tissue deformity such as lip hypertrophy with good cosmetic results and minimal complications.

The 'bikini lip reduction': A detailed approach to hypertrophic lips.

Excessively large lips represent an occasional but significant challenge in aesthetic surgery. Previously described techniques focus largely on the simple excision of a strip of tissue to reduce the lips, without specific attention to the resultant lip contour or to the volume relationship between the lips. The present paper describes a new technique for lip reduction, called the 'bikini lip reduction'. This technique not only reduces the volume of the lips, but also restores an attractive labial contour, as well as an ideal volume relationship between the upper and lower lips. Because it is based on aesthetic analysis, this technique consistently yields both smaller and more aesthetically appealing lips. Simply stated, the bikini lip reduction consists of excision of a 'bikini top' (two cups and a middle strap) from the upper lip and a 'bikini bottom' (a triangle) from the lower lip. The aesthetic results and the patient satisfaction achieved through the bikini lip reduction technique have been very satisfactory.