The structure and development of the collar enameloid in two teleost fishes, Halichoeres poecilopterus and Pagrus major.

Histologically the outer layer of the collar enameloid obviously differs from the inner layer, and it has a degree of mineralization nearly as high as the cap enameloid which has the highest. In the stage of matrix formation, the organic matrix of the collar enameloid contains a number of collagen fibers, and odontoblasts display features suggesting that these cells actively synthesized and secreted collagen. A number of cell processes, matrix vesicles and some cell debris which were probably derived from the odontoblasts were observed in the organic matrix of the collar enameloid. We consider that the majority of the organic matrix in collar enameloid originates from the odontoblasts. In the stage of maturation, collagen fibers were not observed in the outer layer of the collar enameloid in demineralized specimens. In the IDE cells during this stage, the complex infoldings of cell membranes developed in the distal portion, and several lysosomal granules and irregular-shaped granules containing many tubular structures, were observed in the distal cytoplasm. In the ODE cells, abundant labyrinthine canals appeared in the cytoplasm, and capillary vessels were found close to the outer surface of the ODE cells. We assume that the higher mineralized outer layer of the collar enameloid is made possible by the absorptive and transport functions of the epithelial cells during the stage of maturation. It is considered that the collar enameloid in this study was initially produced by the odontoblasts and then reconstructed by the epithelial cells, so that the collar enameloid differs from true enamel.