Vitamin A and kidney development.
Recent advances in developmental nephrology have provided new evidence that retinoids, vitamin A and its active metabolites such as all-trans retinoic acid, profoundly influence renal organogenesis. Retinoids are acknowledged as potent nephron mass regulators. They regulate embryonic kidney patterning through control of Ret expression in a dose-dependent manner, which modulates ureteric bud branching morphogenesis. Analysis of retinoid availability and utilization provides additional evidence of retinoid involvement at sites of epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, suggesting a tight control of vitamin A homeostasis for proper renal morphogenesis and differentiation. This provides a rationale for the search for and identification of retinoid target genes.
Gilbert
Thierry
T
INSERM U423, Hôpital Necker-Enfant Malades, Tour lavoisier, 6 ème étage, 149 rue de Sèvres, 75743 Paris Cedex 15, France.
D000818:Animals; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology; D005333:Fetus / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000196:embryology*; D009399:Nephrons / Q000196:embryology; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000502:physiology*
D014801:Vitamin A