Isl1 Regulation of Nkx2.1 in the Early Foregut Epithelium Is Required for Trachea-Esophageal Separation and Lung Lobation.

The esophagus and trachea arise from the dorsal and ventral aspects of the anterior foregut, respectively. Abnormal trachea-esophageal separation leads to the common birth defect esophageal atresia with or without trachea-esophageal fistula (EA/TEF). Yet the underlying cellular mechanisms remain unknown.

Characterization of Vitamin A Metabolome in Human Livers With and Without Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Retinoids are essential endogenous compounds involved in regulation of critical biologic processes, including maintenance of metabolic homeostasis in the liver. Much of the knowledge of altered retinoid homeostasis in human disease states is derived from changes in indirect markers such as mRNA expression of retinoid-related genes and circulating concentrations of retinol or its binding protein RBP4. We hypothesized that in the human liver, concentrations of the active retinoid all--retinoic acid (RA) correlate with the concentrations of retinyl palmitate (RP), the storage form of RA, retinol, the inactive vitamin A, and the mRNA expression of retinoid-related genes.