Background: We have previously shown in rats: 1) Normal subdivision (septation) of alveolar saccules occurs during the first two postnatal weeks, 2) Dexamethasone (DEX) treatment impairs septation, and 3) Treatment with all-trans retinoic acid (RA) increases the number of alveoli and prevents the DEX-induced inhibition of septation. Cellular retinol binding protein I (CRBP I) and cellular retinoic acid binding protein I (CRABP I) are cytoplasmic proteins that modulate the concentration of RA. Retinoic acid receptor β (RARβ) is a nuclear receptor that may mediate the action of RA.

Research Design and Results: To test the effects of these mediators we:

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