The Technology: Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSC-H) have developed methods and compositions to analyze and study sialic rich proteins found in osteopontin (OPN), a type of mineralized tissue containing non-collagenous proteins. More specifically, Western immunoblots were performed with anti-OPN polyclonal antisera raised from rabbits. OPN has never been detected in dentin extracts by Western immunoblotting until now, making the antisera an excellent tool for further research into the formation of bone and dentin.
Publications:• Qin C, Brunn JC, Jones J, George A, Ramachandran A, Gorski JP, Butler WT. A comparative study of sialic acid-rich proteins in rat bone and dentin. Eur J Oral Sci. 2001 Apr;109(2):133-41.• Razzouk S, Brunn JC, Qin C, Tye CE, Goldberg HA, Butler WT. Osteopontin posttranslational modifications, possibly phosphorylation, are required for in vitro bone resorption but not osteoclast adhesion. Bone. 2002 Jan;30(1):40-7.• Gericke A, Qin C, Spevak L, Fujimoto Y, Butler WT, Sørensen ES, Boskey AL. Importance of phosphorylation for osteopontin regulation of biomineralization. Calcif Tissue Int. 2005 Jul;77(1):45-54. Epub 2005 Jul 14.
UTHealth Ref. No.: 2006-0037 RMDInventors: Qin License Available: worldwide; non-exclusive