Targeted disruption of the mouse cis-retinol dehydrogenase gene: visual and nonvisual functions.

It has been proposed that cis-retinol dehydrogenase (cRDH) acts within the body to catalyze the oxidation of 9-cis-retinol, an oxidative step needed for 9-cis-retinoic acid synthesis, the oxidation of 11-cis-retinol [an oxidative step needed for 11-cis-retinal (visual chromophore) synthesis], and 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid transformations. To assess in vivo the physiological importance of each of these proposed actions of cRDH, we generated cRDH-deficient (cRDH-/-) mice. The cRDH-/- mice reproduce normally and appear to be normal.