Much of the laboratory is devoted to understanding how vitamin A functions during embryogenesis, with particular emphasis on neural development. These receptors function as ligand-activated transcription factors that modulate gene transcription.
Embryonic development is disrupted both in vitamin A deficiency and in excess.
Very recently, we have identified several novel atRA-responsive genes by screening subtractive libraries from retinoid treated and untreated cultures of human neuroblastoma cells and primary cultures of embryonic sympathetic neurons. We are currently studying the function of these genes in neuronal survival, cellular differentiation and embryonic development. We are also devoting considerable effort to the development and study of retinoids that may be useful in medical applications. Recent studies suggest that a stable carbon linked analog of 4-hydroxyphenylretinamide as well as several glucuronide retinoid conjugates are useful in chemoprevention and chemotherapy and have reduced toxicity relative to the parent compounds. We are currently studying the mechanism of action of these novel retinoids in cancer cell lines.