STATH
STATH (statherin, also known as STR) is a secreted salivary protein that keeps saliva stable when it is supersaturated with calcium salts. It does this by inhibiting calcium phosphate precipitation and by modulating hydroxyapatite crystal formation on the tooth surface. Browse Assay Genie's current range of STATH research reagents below, or read on for the biology behind the target.
STATH encodes statherin, a salivary protein that stabilises saliva supersaturated with calcium salts. It inhibits the precipitation of calcium phosphate salts, which helps keep calcium and phosphate in solution in the oral environment. Statherin also modulates hydroxyapatite crystal formation on the tooth surface, linking its activity in saliva to the mineral surfaces of the tooth.
Statherin is a secreted protein and belongs to the histatin/statherin family. In HGNC it is classed within the histatins and statherin group, part of the secretory calcium-binding phosphoprotein family. The STATH gene is also listed under the alias STR. Researchers studying the STATH gene or the statherin protein often do so in the context of salivary biology, mineral homeostasis and tooth surface chemistry.
NCBI Gene summarises further predicted functions for STATH, based on computational annotation rather than direct experiment. These include hydroxyapatite binding, extracellular matrix constituent activity and lubricant activity, as well as a role as a structural constituent of tooth enamel. Predicted biological process annotations include antimicrobial humoral immune response mediated by antimicrobial peptide and killing of cells of another organism. Statherin is predicted to be located in the extracellular region, with a predicted activity in mitochondrion also noted. These predictions should be treated as hypotheses to test, alongside the established role in calcium phosphate regulation.
Statherin stabilises saliva supersaturated with calcium salts, so STATH is a natural focus for studies of salivary protein composition and function.
STATH inhibits calcium phosphate precipitation and modulates hydroxyapatite crystal formation, making it relevant to mineral deposition on the tooth surface.
Statherin is predicted to be a structural constituent of tooth enamel and to bind hydroxyapatite, pointing to roles in enamel surface biology.
Predicted involvement in antimicrobial humoral immune response makes STATH a candidate for investigating antimicrobial peptide activity in the oral cavity.
STATH encodes statherin, a salivary protein that stabilises saliva supersaturated with calcium salts by inhibiting the precipitation of calcium phosphate. It also modulates hydroxyapatite crystal formation on the tooth surface. The protein is secreted into saliva.
The HGNC-approved symbol is STATH and the approved name is statherin. STR is listed as an alias. HGNC places it in the histatins and statherin group, within the secretory calcium-binding phosphoprotein family.
UniProt assigns statherin to the histatin/statherin family. Mouse and rat orthologs are not specified in the data supplied, so check the datasheet of any product for its validated reactivity before choosing a reagent for a given species.
Related salivary proteins and calcium-binding phosphoproteins in the histatin/statherin family may be listed here as pages become available.
Gene and protein annotations from HGNC, NCBI Gene and UniProt P02808; product specifications from Assay Genie datasheets.