Amelotin--a Novel Secreted, Ameloblast-specific Protein

We aimed to analyze the differential gene expression in various murine dental tissues, expecting to find novel factors that are involved in tooth formation. We here describe the identification of a novel ameloblast-specific gene, amelotin (AMTN), by differential display polymerase chain-reaction (DD-PCR) analysis of microdissected ameloblasts, odontoblasts, dental pulp, and alveolar bone cells of 10-day-old mouse incisors. The conceptually translated protein sequence was unique and showed significant homology only with its human orthologue. The amelotin genes from mouse and human displayed a similar exon-intron structure and were expressed from loci on chromosomes 5 and 4, respectively, which have been associated with various forms of amelogenesis imperfecta. Expression of amelotin mRNA was restricted to maturation-stage ameloblasts in developing murine molars and incisors. Amelotin protein was efficiently secreted from transfected cells in culture. Taken together, our findings suggest that amelotin is a novel factor produced by ameloblasts that plays a critical role in the formation of dental enamel.