Altered Ca2+ signaling in enamelopathies

Publication date: Available online 9 May 2018Source: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Cell ResearchAuthor(s): Miriam Eckstein, Francisco J. Aulestia, Meerim K. Nurbaeva, Rodrigo S. LacruzAbstractBiomineralization requires the controlled movement of ions across cell barriers to reach the sites of crystal growth. Mineral precipitation occurs in aqueous phases as fluids become supersaturated with specific ionic compositions. In the biological world, biomineralization is dominated by the presence of calcium (Ca2+) in crystal lattices. Ca2+ channels are intrinsic modulators of this process, facilitating the availability of Ca2+ within cells in a tightly regulated manner in time and space. Unequivocally, the most mineralized tissue produced by vertebrates, past and present, is dental enamel. With some of the longest carbonated hydroxyapatite (Hap) crystals known, dental enamel formation is fully coordinated by specialized epithelial cells of ectodermal origin known as ameloblasts. These cells form enamel in two main developmental stages: a) secretory; and b) maturation. The secretory stage is marked by volumetric growth of the tissue with limited mineralization, and the opposite is found in the maturation stage, as enamel crystals expand in width concomitant with increased ion transport. Disruptions in the formation and/or mineralization stages result, in most cases, in permanent alterations in the crystal assembly. This introduces weaknesses in the material properti...
Source: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) Molecular Cell Research - Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research