About DMP-1
Dentin matrix acidic phosphoprotein is an extracellular matrix protein and a member of the small integrin binding ligand N-linked glycoprotein family. This protein, which is critical for proper mineralization of bone and dentin, is present in diverse cells of bone and tooth tissues. The protein contains a large number of acidic domains, multiple phosphorylation sites, a functional arg-gly-asp cell attachment sequence, and a DNA binding domain. In undifferentiated osteoblasts it is primarily a nuclear protein that regulates the expression of osteoblast-specific genes. During osteoblast maturation the protein becomes phosphorylated and is exported to the extracellular matrix, where it orchestrates mineralized matrix formation. Mutations in the gene are known to cause autosomal recessive hypophosphatemia, a disease that manifests as rickets and osteomalacia. The gene structure is conserved in mammals. Two transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been described for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]

About Alexa Fluor 488
Alexa Fluor™ 488 (AF488, Alexa 488) has an excitation peak at 488 nm and an emission peak at 496 nm, and is considered a high-performance alternative to FITC. Alexa 488 is one of the most popular Alexa Fluor™ dyes and is widely used in Fluorescence Microscopy, flow cytometry, and for staining low expression markers. It is bright, highly photostable, resistant to pH changes, and less susceptible to photobleaching. Alexa 488 and is similar in size, brightness and application to DyLight™ 488, iFluor® 488 and CF®488A.