The molecular and genetic dissection of the retinoid signalling pathway.

Retinoids are derivatives of vitamin A (retinol) that exert a wide variety of profound effects on vertebrate development, cellular differentiation and homeostasis. How these simple molecules can exert such pleiotropic effects has recently been an area of intensive investigation. A complex array of combinatorial effects is beginning to emerge from molecular and genetic studies, which may ultimately account for the pleiotropic effects of retinoids.