Cytochrome P450s: coupling development and environment.

There is growing evidence that some members of the cytochrome P450 superfamily could be involved in the regulation of basic developmental processes such as pattern formation, morphogenesis, cell differentiation and growth. This development calls attention to the myriad small molecules metabolized by cytochrome P450s, some of which might function as the morphogens proposed by the Local Source-Dispersed Sink hypothesis. This new information also suggests a mechanism for the developmental toxicity of drugs and environmental pollutants: such compounds could interfere with normal development by altering the spatial and temporal expression patterns of cytochrome P450s required for normal development.