NBCe1 (SLC4A4) a potential pH regulator in enamel organ cells during enamel development in the mouse

During the formation of dental enamel, maturation-stage ameloblasts express ion-transporting transmembrane proteins. The SLC4 family of ion-transporters regulates intra- and extracellular pH in eukaryotic cells by cotransporting HCO3 − with Na+. Mutation in SLC4A4 (coding for the sodium-bicarbonate cotransporter NBCe1) induces developmental defects in human and murine enamel. We have hypothesized that NBCe1 in dental epithelium is engaged in...