The effect of RA on the chick Ebf1-3 genes expression in somites and pharyngeal arches

Expression of chick early B cell factor 1-3 (cEbf1-3) genes in regions of high retinoic acid (RA) activity, such as somites and pharyngeal arches (PAs), and regulation of other EBF members by RA raise the possibility that the internal cue RA may regulate cEbf1-3 expression in these tissues. To check this possibility, RA gain and loss of function experiments were conducted. Ectopic expression of RA led to up-regulation of cEbf2, 3 but did not change cEbf1 expression in somites. Expectedly, inhibition of RA by disulfiram resulted in downregulation of cEbf2, 3, but did not change cEbf1 expression in somites. The same RA gain and loss of function experiments did not change cEbf1-3 expression in PAs. However, ectopic expression of RA in the cranial neural tube before migration of neural crest cells downregulated cEbf1, 3 and up-regulated cEbf2 expression in the PAs. The same experiment, but with application of disulfiram, resulted in downregulation of cEbf2, but did not alter the expression of the other two genes. We conclude that the three cEbf genes act differently in response to RA signals in somitic mesoderm. cEbf1 may be not RA dependant in somites; however, the other two cEbf genes positively respond to RA signalling in somites. Additionally, only the migratory cEbf-expressing cells into the PAs are affected by RA signals.