Hox Genes and Teratogenic Factors

Exposure to a variety of chemicals is a hazard of daily life. Some of these chemicals have teratogenic potency and may lead to social problems. As an example, thalidomide was prescribed as a sedative and for morning sickness in the late 1950s and caused serious embryonic effects worldwide. To avoid these problems, the development of efficient techniques for the detection of teratogenic substances contained in various chemical compounds is desired. Detection of teratogenic effects using various experimental animals is only partially effective because different phenotypes occur among species. Therefore, effective methods for the detection of teratogenic factors must be based on their molecular mechanisms. However, knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that lead to the different phenotypes caused by teratogenic factors is limited, and useful molecular markers for these factors are not known.