Abstract
Bones and teeth are biocomposites that require controlled mineral deposition during their self-assembly to form tissues with unique mechanical properties. Acidic extracellular matrix proteins play a pivotal role during biomineral formation. However, the mechanisms of protein-mediated mineral initiation are far from understood. Here we report that dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1), an acidic protein, can nucleate the formation of hydroxyapatite in vitro in a multistep process that begins by DMP1 binding calcium ions and initiating mineral deposition. The nucleated amorphous calcium phosphate precipitates ripen and nanocrystals form. Subsequently, these expand and coalesce into microscale crystals elongated in the c-axis direction. Characterization of the functional domains in DMP1 demonstrated that intermolecular assembly of acidic clusters into a β-sheet template was essential for the observed mineral nucleation. Protein-mediated initiation of nanocrystals, as discussed here, might provide a new methodology for constructing nanoscale composites by self-assembly of polypeptides with tailor-made peptide sequences.
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Acknowledgements
We thank our colleagues Naomi Eidelmann for providing the standard hydroxyapatite, Nigel Browning and Steve Weiner for their valuable comments and insights. This research was supported by National Institutes of Health grants DE 11657 & DE 13836.
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41563_2003_BFnmat945_MOESM1_ESM.pdf
Supplementary Information: Hypothetical model: A periodic surface with high calcium-binding capacity facilitate the assembly of Posner's cluster and hydroxyapatite nucleation. (PDF 372 kb)
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He, G., Dahl, T., Veis, A. et al. Nucleation of apatite crystals in vitro by self-assembled dentin matrix protein 1. Nature Mater 2, 552–558 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat945
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat945
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