Retinoic acid is the oxidized form of Vitamin A . It functions in determining position along embryonic anterior/posterior axis in chordates. It acts through Hox genes , which ultimately controls anterior/posterior patterning in early developmental stages. more

Retinoic acid is the oxidized form of Vitamin A . It functions in determining position along embryonic anterior/posterior axis in chordates. It acts through Hox genes , which ultimately controls anterior/posterior patterning in early developmental stages. [ 2 ] Retinoic acid acts by binding to heterodimers of the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) and the retinoid X receptor (RXR), which then bind to retinoic acid response elements (RAREs) in the regulatory regions of direct targets (including Hox genes), thereby activating gene transcription. Retinoic acid receptors mediate transcription of different sets of genes of cell differentiation, thus it also depends on the target cells. One of the target genes is the gene of the retinoic acid receptor itself which occurs during positive regulation. [ 3 ] . Control of retinoic acid levels is maintained by a suite of proteins. less