Fig. 8.
DLX3 involvement in secretory and maturation stage ameloblasts and effects of in vivo deletion of Dlx3 on gene expression in the enamel organ. DLX3 is expressed in both secretion and maturation stage ameloblasts. ChIP-seq analysis revealed that DLX3 has the potential to regulate the expression of (1) enamel matrix proteins during the secretion phase, (2) proteases expressed at the secretory and maturation stages, and (3) ion transporters and carbonic anhydrases expressed in maturation stage ameloblasts. In the enamel organ of Dlx3K14–cKO mice, the expression of enamel matrix proteins and proteases was not significantly affected, suggesting that other factors (TF-X) are compensating for the absence of DLX3 in regulating these genes. However, the expression of ion transporters and carbonic anhydrases was significantly affected by Dlx3 deletion, which shows that DLX3 is a master regulator of enamel mineralization though control of enamel pH.