title: Maintenance of amelogenin gene expression by transformed epithelial cells of mouse enamel organ.
abstract: Electroporation was used to introduce foreign genes into cells derived from the mouse enamel organ epithelia (EOE). Optimal conditions for this electroporation were established. The introduction of a plasmid construct bearing the coding region for the large T-antigen from polyoma virus into EOE cells permitted the establishment of a derivative cell line that has the following characteristics: (1) the cells could be passaged many times; (2) they expressed a keratin-containing cytoskeleton; and (3) approx. 60% of the cells expressed amelogenin, a tissue-specific gene product unique to ameloblasts. Potential uses for such a cell line include analysis of: (1) the upstream regulatory regions required for temporally and spatially restricted expression of amelogenin; (2) the post-translational modification of amelogenin in synchronized cells and (3) the organization and biomineralization of enamel extracellular matrix in monolayer culture.
authors.affiliation: Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, University of Southern California, School of Dentistry, Los Angeles 90033.
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: R I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Couwenhoven
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Snead
mesh_terms: D053523:Amelogenin; D000818:Animals; D000957:Antigens, Viral, Tumor / Q000235:genetics; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D003746:Dental Enamel Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004658:Enamel Organ / Q000166:cytology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D015870:Gene Expression; D051379:Mice; D010957:Plasmids; D014162:Transfection / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D053523:Amelogenin; C507200:Amelx protein, mouse; D000957:Antigens, Viral, Tumor; D003746:Dental Enamel Proteins