= Retinoic acid
A signalling derivative of vitamin A involved in stage- and tissue-dependent patterning.
It can bind <nuclear receptors> that regulate <transcription>, connecting a vitamin-derived signal to developmental <gene> programmes. Local synthesis and removal help determine where <cells> receive the signal. A measured <concentration> pattern and the responding <tissue>’s competence are therefore separate parts of a patterning mechanism. <Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th edition by Bruce Alberts and others>[Chapter 21, Mechanisms of Development: retinoic acid and pattern formation]{ref}
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