Enamel ribbons, surface nodules, and octacalcium phosphate in C57BL/6 mice and lyonization.

Background: Amelogenin is required for normal enamel formation and is the most abundant protein in developing enamel.

Methods: , , and molars and incisors from C57BL/6 mice were characterized using RT-PCR, Western blotting, dissecting and light microscopy, immunohistochemistry (IHC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), backscattered SEM (bSEM), nanohardness testing, and X-ray diffraction.

Results: No amelogenin protein was detected by Western blot analyses of enamel extracts from mice.