Hydroxyapatite- and Amelogenin Protein-Induced Expression of Mineralization-Related Genes in a Dental Epithelial Cell Line

Hydroxyapatite (HAp), a major inorganic component of hard tissues, has been widely used as a novel scaffold for bone or tooth tissue regeneration. However, the effects of HAp on dental cells at the molecular level are poorly understood. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of HAp on differentiationand mineralization-related gene expression in the dental epithelial cell line (HAT-7). HAT-7 cells were observed to spread on the surface of HAp sintered disks and to increase the expression of several differentiationand mineralization-related genes. Furthermore, amelogenin and HAp synergistically induced differentiation resulting in increased amelogenin mRNA expression in HAT-7 cells. The results from this study provide important information to develop novel biomaterials for enamel regeneration.