Construction and identification of mouse amelogenin cDNA clones

The determination of the biochemical phenotype of tooth epithelium requires specification by the dental mesenchyme. This is a general feature of epithelial-mesenchymal interaction in a number of different epidermal organ systems (e.g., salivary gland, mammary gland, feather, skin, and hair morphogenesis). To investigate these developmental processes, we have identified a cDNA clone representing the major group of gene products associated with enamel extracellular matrix formation. The mRNAs for mouse amelogenins, representing approximately equal to 90% of the total enamel proteins, have been isolated and partially characterized by specific immunoprecipitation. The poly(A)-containing RNAs were used for the synthesis and cloning of the mouse amelogenin cDNA. Recombinant plasmids containing amelogenin cDNA sequences were identified by differential hybridization, hybrid-selected translation, and blot hybridization analyses. A cloned sequence was used to identify the expression of amelogenins during tooth development. The mouse cDNA sequence hybridized to genomic mouse and human DNAs. This amelogenin cDNA probe now enables molecular investigations of a number of classical problems in developmental biology.