Journal
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
Volume 111, Issue 17, Pages 6398-6404Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/jp0675429
Keywords
-
Funding
- NIDCR NIH HHS [R37 DE003223, R01 DE013414, R01 DE003223-36, R01 DE003223] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The organic matrix in forming enamel consists largely of the amelogenin protein self-assembled into nanospheres that play a pivotal role in controlling the oriented and elongated growth of highly ordered apatitic crystals during enamel biomineralization. However, the mechanisms of amelogenin-mediated mineralization have not yet been fully elucidated. Here we report that amelogenin dramatically accelerates the nucleation kinetics by decreasing the induction time in a dose-dependent manner in a controlled constant composition (CC) in vitro crystallization system. Remarkably, at very low protein concentrations, elongated microstructures which are similar in appearance to apatitic crystals in enamel were formed at relatively low supersaturations, through interfacial structural match/synergy between structured amelogenin assemblies and apatite nanocrystallites. This heterogeneous crystallization study provides experimental evidence to support the concept that templating by amelogenin very early in the crystallization process facilitates the formation of developing enamel crystals.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available