9-cis Retinoic Acid

9-cis-Retinoic acid activates all isoforms of the retinoic acid receptor. The ability of RAR to heterodimerize with RXR, and the latter to heterodimerize with other partners allows 9-cis-retinoic acid to evoke a wide range of effects. Increases the number of neurons derived from rat neural stem cell cultures. Promotes oligodendrocyte precursor cell differentiation and myelination in cultured cells and mouse cerebellar slices. Induces formation of pancreatic ducts, but not acini, in embryonic mouse pancreas grown in collagen gel. Enhances BMP9-induced osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal progenitor cells, in vitro and in vivo. Induces myogenic differentiation of C2C12 myoblast progenitor cells. Inhibits proliferation of Epstein-Barr virus-infected lymphoblastoid cell lines. Inhibits growth of cultured human gastric cancer cells. Inhibits spontaneous proliferation and CD40-induced growth in primary mantle cell lymphoma cells.