Spatial and temporal expression of cellular retinoic acid binding protein (CRABP) along the anteroposterior axis in the central nervous system of mouse embryos.

In the central nervous system of 11.5-day mouse embryos, the expression of CRABP was spatially restricted to the anteroposterior axis. CRABP was most strongly expressed in the rhombencephalon and the anterior part of the neural tube. In 14-day mouse embryo, CRABP drastically decreased in the brain and the anterior part of the neural tube. The transient expression and spatial distribution of CRABP in the central nervous system strongly suggest that retinoic acid is involved in the neurogenesis during development.