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Abstract
The formation of enamel apatite crystals involves extracellular molecular events among which matrix assembly, interactions with growing crystals, and protein processing and removal are the subject of numerous investigations. Following the description of amelogenin nanospheres and the evidence for their presence in vivo as the principal structural component of developing dental enamel, we have focused our studies on investigating at the molecular level the process of nanosphere assembly and evaluating the effects of amelogenin on crystal growth and morphology. This paper is a short review of our recent studies with a focus on the assembly of amelogenin proteolytic products and their modulating effect on octacalcium phosphate (OCP) crystal morphology. In addition, we report that incorporation of amelogenins into 10% gelatin gel does not affect diffusion of calcium. This remarkable finding indicates that the observed modulation effect by amelogenin on OCP crystal morphology is not due to alteration of calcium diffusion into the gels but is the result of direct amelogenin-mineral interactions.