Mj. Hubbard, PROTEOMIC ANALYSIS OF ENAMEL CELLS FROM DEVELOPING RAT TEETH - BIG RETURNS FROM A SMALL TISSUE, Electrophoresis, 19(11), 1998, pp. 1891-1900
Citations number
25
Categorie Soggetti
Biochemical Research Methods","Chemistry Analytical
Poor understanding of the molecular links between disturbed calcium re
gulation in cells and disease remains a problem of considerable biomed
ical importance. Dental enamel cells might provide useful insights to
this problem since they handle calcium in bulk without suffering its c
ytotoxic effects. Two practical challenges hindered investigation of c
alcium handling mechanisms in enamel cells - paucity of molecular info
rmation and limited availability of sample from developing rat teeth,
the experimental system of choice. This paper outlines the microscale
proteomic approaches we applied to overcome these difficulties and rev
iews several major findings that ensued from initial characterization
of the enamel cell proteome. Enamel cells are now established as a pow
erful model for fundamental calcium research and have provided outcome
s of broad biological relevance, including the discovery of a new endo
plasmic reticulum protein. Future proteomic approaches that might bene
fit understanding of function are discussed.