Retinoic acid accelerates downregulation of the Xist repressor, Oct4, and increases the likelihood of Xist activation when Tsix is deficient

Summary: The study reveals that maternal exposure to hyperbaric oxygen at the preimplantation stage induces apoptosis in blastocyst ICM and impairs cell specification, with mechanisms involving upregulation of Nrf2-Notch1-Cdx2 expression and downregulation of Nf2-Oct4 expression.