Regulation of retinoic acid
20 Nov 2007
US researchers say they have found new indications of on how embryonic cells regulate retinoic acid levels. The substance – a derivative of vitamin A – plays a vital role in embryo development, acting between cells to control development of the brain, limbs and many other tissues. A team at the University of California, Irvine, says that its work in animals shows that excessive levels of retinoic acid are dealt with by an enzyme called cyp26a1. If levels are too low, fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) slow retinoic acid’s degradation. The results are published in the Public Library of Science Biology.