Retinoic acid induces a tissue-specific deletion in the expression domain of Otx2.
The expression domain of Otx2, a gene essential for the development of the fore- and midbrain, has previously been shown to be affected by exposure to all-trans-retinoic acid (AT-RA). However, morphological abnormalities of the fore- and midbrain induced by exposure of early somite-stage embryos to AT-RA were not associated with abnormal Otx2 expression. To identify abnormal expression of developmental genes induced by exposure at early somite-stages, we performed a fine analysis of the expression domains of Otx2, Otx1, Emx2, and Pax-6 by combining in situ hybridization (ISH) with computer-assisted superpositions and three-dimensional reconstructions of these expression domains. No alteration in the relative location of the caudal boundaries of the expression domains of these genes was observed. The only abnormality was a deletion of the most cranial portion of the neural folds (NF).
Clotman
F
F
Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, Catholic University of Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
Van Maele-Fabry
G
G
Picard
J J
JJ
D000818:Animals; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology; D017353:Gene Deletion; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009928:Organ Specificity; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology*
D014212:Tretinoin