title: Role of Vitamin A/Retinoic Acid in Regulation of Embryonic and Adult Hematopoiesis.
abstract: Vitamin A is an essential micronutrient throughout life. Its physiologically active metabolite retinoic acid (RA), acting through nuclear retinoic acid receptors (RARs), is a potent regulator of patterning during embryonic development, as well as being necessary for adult tissue homeostasis. Vitamin A deficiency during pregnancy increases risk of maternal night blindness and anemia and may be a cause of congenital malformations. Childhood Vitamin A deficiency can cause xerophthalmia, lower resistance to infection and increased risk of mortality. RA signaling appears to be essential for expression of genes involved in developmental hematopoiesis, regulating the endothelial/blood cells balance in the yolk sac, promoting the hemogenic program in the aorta-gonad-mesonephros area and stimulating eryrthropoiesis in fetal liver by activating the expression of erythropoietin. In adults, RA signaling regulates differentiation of granulocytes and enhances erythropoiesis. Vitamin A may facilitate iron absorption and metabolism to prevent anemia and plays a key role in mucosal immune responses, modulating the function of regulatory T cells. Furthermore, defective RA/RARα signaling is involved in the pathogenesis of acute promyelocytic leukemia due to a failure in differentiation of promyelocytes. This review focuses on the different roles played by vitamin A/RA signaling in physiological and pathological mouse hematopoiesis duddurring both, embryonic and adult life, and the consequences of vitamin A deficiency for the blood system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n Malaga 29071, Spain and Andalusian Center for Nanomedicine and Biotechnology (BIONAND), Severo Ochoa 25, Campanillas 29590, Spain. acansan@uma.es.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cañete
authors.affiliation: Max-Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert Roessle-Strasse 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany. Elena.CanoRincon@mdc-berlin.de.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cano
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n Malaga 29071, Spain and Andalusian Center for Nanomedicine and Biotechnology (BIONAND), Severo Ochoa 25, Campanillas 29590, Spain. chapuli@uma.es.
authors.forename: Ramón
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Muñoz-Chápuli
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Malaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n Malaga 29071, Spain and Andalusian Center for Nanomedicine and Biotechnology (BIONAND), Severo Ochoa 25, Campanillas 29590, Spain. rita@uma.es.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carmona
mesh_terms: D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000187:drug effects*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D004920:Erythropoiesis / Q000187:drug effects; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D006410:Hematopoiesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D015473:Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D011247:Pregnancy; D018168:Receptors, Retinoic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: C554270:EPO protein, human; D018168:Receptors, Retinoic Acid; D004921:Erythropoietin; D014801:Vitamin A; D014212:Tretinoin
keywords: embryos; hematopoiesis; leukemia; retinoic acid; vitamin A; vitamin A deficiency