Retinoic acid inhibits growth in agarose of early chick embryonic cells and may be involved in regulation of axis formation.

The mechanisms involved in the generation of axial structures in the chick are well documented, yet, little is known about the actual factors that generate such a complex pattern. The recent demonstrations that all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) acts as a morphogen during limb development (Thaller and Eichele, 1987) lead us to examine whether during axis formation in the developing chick, RA could be one of the factors involved. We now show that retinoic acid can block a very unusual property of normal early chick embryonic cells, mainly their capacity to grow in semisolid medium. We also present experiments that suggest that RA may play a direct role during axis formation in the developing chick.