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Dynamic Light Scattering Study Of Hydroxyapatite Formation: Effect Of Osteopontin And Bone Sialoprotein, Maryam Mozaffari

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Biomineralization is the process by which living organisms synthesize minerals. Some bone-related proteins, such as bone sialoprotein (BSP), have been found to enhance biomineralization, while others, including osteopontin (OPN), act as inhibitors of this process. Dynamic light scattering was used to investigate the effect of several native and recombinant proteins and peptides on the formation and growth of hydroxyapatite (HA) crystals from solutions of Ca²⁺ and PO₄^3- ions. We studied two isoforms of OPN, the OPN-derived peptides P0, P3, OPAR and pOPAR, and recombinant BSP. X-ray diffraction was used to identify the precipitate as HA crystals. Native …