The developing dentition is known to express the complete set of retinoic acid (RA) nuclear receptors and cytoplasmic RA-binding proteins (CRABPI and II), and RA is required for in vitro mouse molar morphogenesis, so the role of RA during in vitro mouse incisor development was investigated. Histological procedures, immunocytochemical detection of proliferating cells, immunofluorescence detection of laminin, and in situ hybridization with RNA probes for CRABPI and II were done on the tooth-germ cultures either in the presence or in the absence of RA. RA appeared to control initial morphogenesis, particularly the asymmetrical growth of the cervical loop, and to regulate required differential mitotic activity. RA seemed also to be involved in asymmetrical laminin deposition. The distribution of the CRABP gene transcripts was similar during in vivo and in vitro incisor development. However, CRABPI gene transcript distribution in the labial part of the epithelial loop was detected in vitro only in the presence of RA. A direct role of the CRABPs during tooth development is, however, unlikely because Ch55, a synthetic RA analogue that does not bind to CRABP, had the same effects as RA on in vitro incisor development.