The identification of a 9-cis retinol dehydrogenase in the mouse embryo reveals a pathway for synthesis of 9-cis retinoic acid.

ABSTRACT: The ligand-controlled retinoic acid (RA) receptors and retinoid X receptors are important for several physiological processes, including normal embryonic development, but little is known about how their ligands, all-trans and 9-cis RA, are generated. Here we report the identification of a stereo-specific 9-cis retinol dehydrogenase, which is abundantly expressed in embryonic tissues known to be targets in the retinoid signaling pathway. The membrane-bound enzyme is a member of the short-chain alcohol dehydrogenase/reductase superfamily, able to oxidize 9-cis retinol into 9-cis retinaldehyde, an intermediate in 9-cis RA biosynthesis. Analysis by nonradioactive in situ hybridization in mouse embryos shows that expression of the enzyme is temporally and spatially well controlled during embryo

SUBMITTER: Romert A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC22501 | biostudies-literature | 1998 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature