"Proenamel leads to enamel leads to polypeptides": a concept.

Our laboratory is interested in determining the number of enamel protein gene products which characterize the ameloblast phenotype, and to what extent these proteins are degraded as a function of enamel maturation. Many investigators have reported a large number of heterogeneous proteins within the enamel matrix (Eggert, Allen and Burgess, 1973; Weidmann and Eyre, 1971). One explanation for this apparent heterogeneity may be the uncertain age of the analyzed enamel matrix; specimens may have undergone degradative processes associated with enamel maturation. To overcome this difficulty, our laboratory selected 26-day embryonic New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit incisor and molar tooth organs to isolate enamel protein(s). At this developmental stage it is possible to identify newly-secreted enamel matrix proteins.