Tuftelin (TUFT)

Tuftelin is an acidic phosphorylated glycoprotein found in tooth enamel. In humans, the Tuftelin protein is encoded by the TUFT1 gene.This protein is formed for a short time during amelogenesis. The function of tuftelins is under contention, but it is proposed that it acts to start the mineralization process of enamel during tooth development. Other significant proteins in enamel are amelogenins, enamelins, and ameloblastins.

The human encoding gene for tuftelin (TUFT1) was cloned by Profs. Dany Deutsch and Aharon Palmon from the Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Dental Medicine in Jerusalem.It is thought to play a major role in mineralization and structural organization of enamel.