The Role of Retinoic Acid and Related Genes in the Cardiac Development

Retinoic acid,the biologically active form of vitamin A,plays a critical role in normal development.Either an excess or a deficit of retinoic acid produces cardiac defects that vary depending on the severity and the timing of the insult.However,the mechanism of the interaction of retinoic acid and related cardiae genes that leads to cardiac malformation is not elucidated.The review presents retinoic acid's biological character and associated cardiac defects,and then discusses the regulation of retinoic acid and several related genes in the cardiac development. Key words: Retinoic acid; Cardiac development; Gene