| First Author | Fawcett D | Year | 1995 |
| Journal | Development | Volume | 121 |
| Issue | 3 | Pages | 671-9 |
| PubMed ID | 7720575 | Mgi Jnum | J:23773 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:71462 | Doi | 10.1242/dev.121.3.671 |
| Citation | Fawcett D, et al. (1995) Postaxial polydactyly in forelimbs of CRABP-II mutant mice. Development 121(3):671-9 |
| abstractText | The cytoplasmic retinoic acid (RA)-binding protein CRABP-II is expressed widely throughout early morphogenesis in mouse embryo, but its expression becomes more restricted as organogenesis progresses. CRABP-II expression remains strong in the developing limb bud suggesting a role for this protein in limb patterning. Here, we show that the CRABP-II promoter can direct expression of a lacZ transgene in a specific posterior domain during limb bud development. In order to investigate in more detail the role played by CRABP-II in RA signal transduction, we have also generated mice homozygous for a null mutation of this gene. CRABPII-/- mice are viable and fertile but show a developmental defect of the forelimb, specifically an additional, postaxial digit. This digit is generally, but not exclusively, limited to a single forepaw of an individual animal. The penetrance of the phenotype varies according to the genetic background, occurring most frequently on the inbred 129Sv background (50%), less frequently on the C57Bl/6 background (30%) and rarely on the outbred CD1 background (10%). This developmental abnormality implies a role for CRABP-II in normal patterning of the limb. |
