Initial retinoid requirement for early avian development coincides with retinoid receptor coexpression in the precardiac fields and induction of normal cardiovascular development

• Published in: Developmental dynamics 1998-10, Vol.213 (2), p.188-198
• Main Authors: Kostetskii, Igor, Yuan, Sa‐Ying, Kostetskaia, Ekaterina, Linask, Kersti K., Blanchet, Sandrine, Seleiro, Eduardo, Michaille, Jean‐Jacques, Brickell, Paul, Zile, Maija
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; cardiovascular development; Cardiovascular System - drug effects; Cardiovascular System - embryology; Cardiovascular System - metabolism; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; In Situ Hybridization; Phenotype; Quail; quail embryo; Receptors, Retinoic Acid - genetics; retinoic acid; Retinoic Acid Receptor alpha; Retinoic Acid Receptor gamma; retinoid receptors; Retinoid X Receptors; Retinoids - pharmacology; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Time Factors; Transcription Factors - genetics; Vitamin A Deficiency - embryology; Vitamin A Deficiency - genetics; vitamin A‐deficient
• ISSN: 1058-8388; 1097-0177
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0177(199810)213:2<188::AID-AJA4>3.0.CO;2-C

Vitamin A requirement for early embryonic development is clearly evident in the gross cardiovascular and central nervous system abnormalities and an early death of the vitamin A‐deficient quail embryo. This retinoid knockout model system was used to examine the biological activity of various natural retinoids in early cardiovascular development. We demonstrate that all‐trans‐, 9‐cis‐, 4‐oxo‐, and didehydroretinoic acids, and didehydroretinol and all‐trans‐retinol induce and maintain normal cardiovascular development as well as induce expression of the retinoic acid receptor β2 in the vitamin A‐deficient quail embryo. The expression of RARβ2 is at the same level and at the same sites where it is expressed in the normal embryo. Retinoids provided to the vitamin A‐deficient embryo up to the 5‐somite stage of development, but not later, completely rescue embryonic development, suggesting the 5‐somite stage as a critical retinoid‐sensitive time point during early avian embryogenesis. Retinoid receptors RARα, RARγ, and RXRα are expressed in both the precardiac endoderm and mesoderm in the normal and the vitamin A‐deficient quail embryo, while the expression of RXRγ is restricted to precardiac endoderm. Vitamin A deficiency downregulates the expression of RARα and RARβ. Our studies provide strong evidence for a narrow retinoid‐requiring developmental window during early embryogenesis, in which the presence of bioactive retinoids and their receptors is essential for a subsequent normal embryonic development. Dev. Dyn. 1998;213:188–198. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.