p120-catenin is an E-cadherin-associated protein that modulates E-cadherin function and stability. We describe here that p120-catenin is required for Wnt pathway signaling. p120-catenin binds and is phosphorylated by CK1ε in response to Wnt3a. p120-catenin also associates to the Wnt co-receptor LRP5/6, an interaction mediated by E-cadherin, showing an unexpected physical link between adherens j...

In Xenopus laevis development, beta-catenin plays an important role in the Wnt-signaling pathway by establishing the Nieuwkoop center, which in turn leads to specification of the dorsoventral axis. Cadherins are essential for embryonic morphogenesis since they mediate calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion and can modulate beta-catenin signaling. alpha-catenin links beta-catenin to the actin-base...

Alpha-epithelial catenin (E-catenin) is an important cell-cell adhesion protein. In this study, we show that alpha-E-catenin also regulates intracellular traffic by binding to the dynactin complex component dynamitin. Dynactin-mediated organelle trafficking is increased in alpha-E-catenin(-/-) keratinocytes, an effect that is reversed by expression of exogenous alpha-E-catenin. Disruption of ad...

Normally, the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway controls developmental processes and homeostasis, but abnormal activation of this pathway is a frequent event during the development of cancer. The key mechanism in regulation of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway is the amino-terminal phosphorylation of beta-catenin, marking it for proteasomal degradation. Here we present small-molecule-based identification of ...

Objective(s): High-glucose (HG) stress, a mimic of diabetes mellitus (DM) in culture cells, alters expression of a large number of genes including Wnt and NF-κB signaling-related genes; however, the role of Wnt signaling during HG-mediated fibroblast damage and the relationship between Wnt and NF-κB signaling have not been understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate the ffects of Wnt sig...

In Xenopus embryos, beta-catenin has been shown to be both necessary and sufficient for the establishment of dorsal cell fates. This signaling activity is thought to depend on the binding of beta-catenin to members of the Lef/Tcf family of transcription factors and the regulation of gene expression by this complex. To test whether beta-catenin must accumulate in nuclei to establish dorsal cell ...

Compromise in adherens junctions (AJs) is associated with several chronic inflammatory diseases. We reported previously that Janus kinase 3, a non-receptor tyrosine kinase, plays a crucial role in AJ formation through its interaction with β-catenin. In this report, we characterize the structural determinants responsible for Jak3 interactions with β-catenin and determine the functional implicati...

Purpose: -Catenin is involved in homotypic cell-cell adhesion and the wnt signaling pathway. Deregulation of -catenin levels, caused in part by mutations of the adenomatous polyposis coli gene, is thought to play a role in the development of colorectal and other cancers. To further elucidate their roles, the expression pattern of -catenin and phosphospecific -catenin was correlated with clinica...

Culture of embryonic stem (ES) cells at high density inhibits both beta-catenin signaling and neural differentiation. ES cell density does not influence beta-catenin expression, but a greater proportion of beta-catenin is targeted for degradation in high-density cultures. Moreover, in high-density cultures, beta-catenin is preferentially localized to the membrane further reducing beta-catenin s...

The binding of p120-catenin and β-catenin to the cytoplasmic domain of E-cadherin establishes epithelial cell-cell adhesion. Reduction and loss of catenin expression degrades E-cadherin-mediated carcinoma cell-cell adhesion and causes carcinomas to progress into aggressive states. Since both catenins are differentially regulated and play distinct roles when they dissociate from E-cadherin, eval...