title: Amelogenin evolution and tetrapod enamel structure.
abstract: Amelogenins are the major proteins involved in tooth enamel formation. In the present study, we have cloned and sequenced four novel amelogenins from three amphibian species in order to analyze similarities and differences between mammalian and non-mammalian amelogenins. The newly sequenced amphibian amelogenin sequences were from a red-eyed tree frog (Litoria chloris) and a Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). We identified two amelogenin isoforms in the Eastern red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus). Sequence comparisons confirmed that non-mammalian amelogenins are overall shorter than their mammalian counterparts, contain less proline and less glutamine, and feature shorter polyproline tripeptide repeat stretches than mammalian amelogenins. We propose that unique sequence parameters of mammalian amelogenins might be a pre-requisite for complex mammalian enamel prism architecture.
authors.forename: Thomas G H
authors.initials: TGH
authors.lastname: Diekwisch
authors.forename: Tianquan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Xinping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Marcella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Druzinsky
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamane
authors.forename: Xianghong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Luan
mesh_terms: D000558:Ambystoma mexicanum / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D053523:Amelogenin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000663:Amphibians / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001001:Anura / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000032:analysis; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D008322:Mammals; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012313:RNA / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017385:Sequence Homology
chemical_list: D053523:Amelogenin; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012313:RNA