Required For Cell Differentiation 1 Homolog (RQCD1)

Rcd1 is a transcriptional cofactor that is critical for retinoic acid (RA)-induced differentiation of F9 mouse teratocarcinoma cells to visceral endoderm cells, at least in part, by forming complexes with retinoic acid receptors and activation transcription factor-2 (ATF2). Antisense oligonucleotide treatment of embryonic mouse lung explants suggested that Rcd1 also plays a role in RA-controlled lung development.

Rcd1 gene is highly conserved throughout eukaryotes, with deduced gene products in different species showing over 70% sequence homology. Rcd1 was expressed in virtually all tissues of early rat embryo, but was particularly abundant in brain, liver, lung, intestine, and heart. Its level in these tissues decreased during the later stages of embryogenesis