New immunological approaches to studying the odontoblast.

The use of specific polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies as probes to study odontoblast morphology, function, and differentiation has received relatively little attention. The extent of the odontoblast processes in human and rat teeth is one question that we have approached recently by utilizing antibodies specific for intracellular elements, i.e., the cytoskeleton. Indirect immunofluorescence on both paraffin-embedded thin sections and surface-demineralized collagenase-digested whole mounts has indicated that the odontoblast process does extend to the dentino-enamel junction. By using other antibodies which recognize intra- and extracellular components, or antibodies which recognize unique antigens expressed at the cell surface of the odontoblast or its precursor cells, many more precise molecular details of odontoblast form and function would become accessible for analysis.