Description
Dentin Matrix Acidic Phosphoprotein 1 (DMP-1) is an extracellular matrix protein and a member of the small integrin binding ligand N-linked glycoprotein family. DMP-1 is expressed in teeth particularly in odontoblast, ameloblast, and cementoblast. DMP-1 is critical for proper mineralization of bone and dentin. DMP-1 may have a dual function during osteoblast differentiation. In the nucleus of undifferentiated osteoblasts, the unphosphorylated form of DMP-1 acts as a transcriptional component for activation of osteoblast-specific genes like osteocalcin. During the osteoblast to osteocyte transition phase, DMP-1 is phosphorylated and exported into the extracellular matrix, where it regulates nucleation of hydroxyapatite. DMP-1 mutations have also been shown to cause rickets hypophosphatemic autosomal recessive type 1 (ARHR1)