Retinoic Acid Synthesis and Signaling during Early Organogenesis

摘要

Retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A, is an essential component of cell-cell signaling during vertebrate organogenesis. In early development retinoic acid functions as a trunk organizer by providing an instructive signal for posterior neuroectoderm and foregut endoderm and a permissive signal for trunk mesoderm differentiation. At later stages, retinoic acid contributes to the development of the eye and other organs. Recent efforts suggest that retinoic acid acts primarily in a paracrine manner and provide insight into the cell-cell signaling networks that control differentiation of pluripotent cells.