REGULATION AND FUNCTION OF ENAMELIN

釉质是牙釉质的主要细胞外成分，但 它在这种组织形成中的作用还没有得到广泛的研究。 本项目的具体目标是：1)确定时间和空间 釉蛋白在分泌期、过渡期和成熟期的表达 2)产生釉质基因敲除小鼠，并 在没有釉质蛋白表达的情况下形成釉质的特征；以及3)到 研究小鼠釉蛋白基因表达的调控。计划中的 实现这些目标的方法是检查时间和空间 釉质蛋白基因表达的免疫组织化学和原位研究 杂交，敲除釉蛋白基因并检测随后发生的变化 釉质形成，并利用系统的缺失/突变分析 鉴定釉蛋白基因对细胞和阶段特异性所必需的区域 在成釉细胞中表达。从这些研究中获得的信息加在一起 与其他蛋白质转录调控相关的发现，如 如釉原蛋白、成釉蛋白、EMSP1和DSPP将允许全面的 对结构基因表达调控的认识 成釉作用。

Enamelin is a major extracellular component of dental enamel, yet its role in the formation of this tissue has not been extensively explored. Specific aims of this project are: 1) to determine the temporal and spatial expression of enamelin during the secretory, transition, and maturation stages of enamel biomineralization; 2) to generate a enamelin knockout mouse and characterized enamel formation in the absence of enamelin expression; and 3) to investigate the regulation of mouse enamelin gene expression. Planned approaches to accomplish these aims are to examine the temporal and spacial distribution of enamelin gene expression using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, to knock out the enamelin gene and examine ensuing changes in enamel formation, and to utilize systematic deletion/mutation analysis to identify regions of the enamelin gene necessary for cell and stage-specific expression in ameloblasts. Information gained from these studies taken together with findings related to the transcriptional regulation of other proteins such as amelogenin, ameloblastin, EMSP1 and DSPP will allow a comprehensive understanding of the regulation of structural gene expression during amelogenesis.