Retinoids and mouse embryonic development

This chapter describes the different aspects of retinoids and mouse embryonic development. Embryogenesis encompasses a very dynamic state of development characterized by precise temporal and spatial cell-tissue inductive interactions. The roles retinoids play during embryonic development are both basic and complex. Hyper- and hypo-vitaminosis A leads to malformations in a number of anatomical structures, which can include the central nervous, skeletal, urogenital, cardiovascular, and immune systems. The C region comprises two classical zinc finger motifs, each of which contains four cysteines that coordinate zinc to mediate DNA binding of the receptor monomer to the canonical half-site A/GGG/TTCA. The specific protein–protein contacts made between the two DNA-bound receptors appear to be partly dependent on the spacing of the half-sites. In DR5 elements bound by an RXR/RAR heterodimer, the tip of the CI finger from the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) contacts the D box of the CII finger from the RXR. © 1995 Academic Press Inc.