Expression pattern of odontogenic ameloblast-associated and amelotin during formation and regeneration of the junctional epithelium.

The junctional epithelium (JE) adheres to the tooth surface, and seals off periodontal tissues from the oral environment. This incompletely differentiated epithelium is formed initially by the fusion of the reduced enamel organ with the oral epithelium (OE). Two proteins, odontogenic ameloblast-associated (ODAM) and amelotin (AMTN), have been identified in the JE. The objective of this study was to evaluate their expression pattern during formation and regeneration of the JE. Cytokeratin 14 was used as a differentiation marker for oral epithelial cells, and Ki67 for cell proliferation. Immunohistochemistry was carried out on erupting rat molars, and in regenerating JE following gingivectomy. In the reducing enamel organ and in established JE, ODAM and AMTN were present at the cell-tooth interface while only ODAM and CK14 were found throughout the JE. Both were also conspicuously present in cell clusters situated between the erupting tooth and OE. During JE regeneration, ODAM was detected first at the leading wound edge and then in the regenerating JE. Some cell clusters in the subjacent connective tissue were also positive for ODAM. AMTN appeared later and both AMTN and ODAM accumulated at the interface with the tooth. Cytokeratin 14 gradually appeared in the regenerating JE but the cell clusters showed variable labeling. Cells associated with JE formation and regeneration exhibited higher division activity than adjacent epithelial cells. These findings suggest that ODAM and AMTN have a role at the cell-tooth interface, and that ODAM is likely also implicated in cellular events during formation and regeneration of the JE.