Retinoic acid synthesis and functions in early embryonic development

Retinoic acid (RA) is a morphogen derived from retinol (vitamin A) that plays important roles in cell growth, differentiation, and organogenesis. The production of RA from retinol requires two consecutive enzymatic reactions catalyzed by different sets of dehydrogenases. The retinol is first oxidize...

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Published inCell & bioscience Vol. 2; no. 1; p. 11
Main Authors Kam, Richard Kin Ting, Deng, Yi, Chen, Yonglong, Zhao, Hui
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England BioMed Central Ltd 22.03.2012
BioMed Central
BMC
Subjects
Embryonic development
Gene expression
organogenesis
Physiological aspects
retinoic acid synthesis
retinoids
Review
Tretinoin
China
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Summary:Retinoic acid (RA) is a morphogen derived from retinol (vitamin A) that plays important roles in cell growth, differentiation, and organogenesis. The production of RA from retinol requires two consecutive enzymatic reactions catalyzed by different sets of dehydrogenases. The retinol is first oxidized into retinal, which is then oxidized into RA. The RA interacts with retinoic acid receptor (RAR) and retinoic acid X receptor (RXR) which then regulate the target gene expression. In this review, we have discussed the metabolism of RA and the important components of RA signaling pathway, and highlighted current understanding of the functions of RA during early embryonic development.
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ISSN:2045-3701
2045-3701
DOI:10.1186/2045-3701-2-11