Modulation of apatite crystal growth on Bioglass® by recombinant amelogenin

The effects of a recombinant mouse amelogenin (rM179) on the growth of apatite crystals nucleated on a bioactive glass (45S5 type Bioglass®) surface were investigated with a view to gaining a better understanding of the role of amelogenin protein in tooth enamel formation and of its potential application in the design of novel enamel-like biomaterials. Bioglass® discs were incubated in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) to preform a calcium phosphate surface layer and subsequently immersed in blank, bovine serum albumin (BSA)- and rM179-containing supersaturated calcification solutions (SCSB, SCSBSA and SCSrM179), respectively. Calcium phosphate layers formed on all the treated samples and were characterized to be apatite by X-ray diffraction and Fourier transmission infrared spectrophotometry. Under scanning electron microscopy, plate-shaped crystals ( 50 nm thick and 300–600 nm across) were observed on the samples after PBS incubation. The crystals grown from SCSB were of the typical plate shape except for an increased thickness, while needle-shaped crystals (200–300 nm long and 50–70 nm thick) were precipitated on the SCSBSA-immersed samples. Interestingly, it was found that the crystals deposited on the SCSrM179-immersed samples adopted an elongated, curved shape ( 500 nm long and 120 nm thick). Further TEM observations showed that the crystals generated by the SCSrM179 immersion appeared to be composed of bundles of lengthwise crystals (15–20 nm thick) orientated parallel to one another, much alike the long and thin crystals observed in the very early stage of enamel formation. The significant modulation by the rM179 protein of apatite crystal growth is quite different from the overall inhibition observed by BSA and most likely is relevant to the specific function of the amelogenin matrix in controlling enamel crystal growth in vivo.