Mouse anti-Human AMELX monoclonal antibody, clone 7H4

There is evidence for a genetic component in caries susceptibility, but the disease is greatly influenced by environmental factors, which are extremely difficult to control in humans. For the present study, we used DNA samples collected from 110 unrelated, non-cleft individuals older than 12 years of age from Tiquisate, Guatemala: a population with similar cultural, dietary and hygiene habits, similar access to the dentist and fluoride exposure. Forty-four individuals were designated 'very low caries experience' (DMFT <= 2), and 66 were designated higher caries experience' (DMFT >= 6 3). Single-nucleotide polymorphism markers were genotyped in selected candidate genes (ameloblastin, amelogenin, enamelin, tuftelin-1, and tuftelin interacting protein 11) that influence enamel formation. Having at least one copy of the rare amelogenin marker allele was associated with increased age-adjusted caries experience. This association was stronger in individuals with higher DMFT (DMFT >= 20; p = 0.0000001). Our results suggest that variation in amelogenin may contribute to caries susceptibility in the population studied. The approach of comparing individuals with extremely distinct caries experiences could be valuable for decreasing the potential influence of environmental factors on genetic studies of caries.

We developed a reliable non-invasive PCR method for sex identification of the takin (Budorcas taxicolor) based on Amelogenin (AMEL) genes. In takin, a 45bp deletion of Y-linked allele provides a significant distinction between AMELX and AMELY, and amplification products show sex-specific banding patterns (male: 240 and 195bp; female: 240bp) after agarose gel electrophoresis. However, SRY gene produces only male-specific amplification, and amplification products have only one band (male: 230bp). Both feces and muscle samples from known-sex takins were successfully amplified. There was no amplification failure of our specific primers, and the phenotypic and genotypic of 15 tested taxins (4 males and 11 females) were highly consistent. Cross-species detection also proved that our primers could be applied to other Caprinae species. The detection sensitivity of this method was 50pg of genomic DNA. These results show that using one pair of primers to co-amplify homologous fragments according to the AMEL gene exon 5 is a reliable and rapid method.