Interaction of calcium ions and salivary acidic proline-rich proteins with hydroxyapatite. A possible aspect of inhibition of hydroxyapatite formation.

The relationship between Ca2+- and hydroxyapatite-binding sites in salivary acidic proline-rich phosphoproteins A and C was investigated. Coating of hydroxyapatite with protein before adsorption had no effect on Ca2+ binding to the mineral, but simultaneous adsorption of Ca+ and protein to hydroxyapatite caused additional Ca2+ binding to the solid. The additional amount of Ca2+ adsorbed, measured in mol of Ca2+/mol of protein adsorbed to hydroxyapatite, was approx. 2 for protein C, 4 for protein A, 9 for the N-terminal tryptic peptide and 2 for dephosphorylated protein A. It is suggested that the ability of the proteins to inhibit hydroxyapatite formation is related to the binding of the proteins to crystal growth sites on the mineral, which prevents access of Ca2+ from the surrounding liquid.