Sheathlin: cloning, cDNA/polypeptide sequences, and immunolocalization of porcine enamel sheath proteins.

Sheath proteins designate low-molecular-weight non-amelogenin enamel polypeptides and their parent protein, which concentrate in the sheath space separating rod and inter-rod enamel (Uchida et al., 1995). Two porcine sheath proteins, with apparent molecular weights of 13 and 15 kDa, are characterized by protein sequencing. The primary structures of these polypeptides match a portion of the derived amino acid sequences of clones isolated from a porcine enamel organ epithelia-specific cDNA library. Sheath protein RNA messages differ by the inclusion or deletion of a 45-nucleotide segment and by the use of three alternative polyadenylation/cleavage sites. The secreted proteins are 395 and 380 residues in length, with molecular masses of 42,358 and 40,279 Daltons and calculated isoelectric points of 6.3 and 6.7, respectively. Polyclonal antibodies were raised against a synthetic peptide having the sheathlin-specific sequence EHETQQYEYSGGC. Immunohistochemistry with this antibody demonstrates that the protein encoded by the sheathlin cDNA is preferentially localized in the sheath space. We propose that the porcine sheath proteins and their proteolytic cleavage products be designated "sheathlin".