Retinoic Acid Induction Of Genes Associated With Neural Tube Developmental Defects

To date, little information has been available regarding genes involved in the regulation of embryonic cell development, which participate in retinoic acid-induced neural tube defects in mice. Previous studies have revealed seven differentially expressed genes involved in neural tube developmental defects. However, gene expression and regulation is a complex process. Therefore, gene expression differences between normal and defective neural tubes at 9.5 and 10.5 days were compared. A total of eight differentially expressed genes exhibited coincident alterations at embryonic 9.5 and 10.5 days. In mice with retinoic acid-induced neural tube defects, NeK7, IGFBP5, ZW10, Csf3r, PSMC6, Cdk5, and Rb1 expressions were downregulated, but Apoa-4 expression was upregulated. These results were confirmed by Northern blot hybridization. Results suggested that NeK7, IGFBP5, ZW10, Csf3r, PSMC6, Cdk5, Rb1, and Apoa-4 are important regulatory factors involved in neural tube defects.