Aberrant activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, resulting in the expression of Wnt-regulated oncogenes, is recognized as a critical factor in the etiology of colorectal cancer. Occupancy of β-catenin at promoters of Wnt target genes drives transcription, but the mechanism of β-catenin action remains poorly understood. Here, we show that CARM1 (coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1...

In Xenopus, Wnt signals and their transcriptional effector beta-catenin are required for the development of dorsal axial structures. In zebrafish, previous loss-of-function studies have not identified an essential role for beta-catenin in dorsal axis formation, but the maternal-effect mutation ichabod disrupts beta-catenin accumulation in dorsal nuclei and leads to a reduction of dorsoanterior ...

Objective(s): Increasing evidence suggests that regular physical exercise improves type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the potential beneficial effects of swimming on insulin resistance and lipid disorder in T2DM, and its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Materials and Methods: Rats were fed with high fat diet and given a low dosage of Streptozotocin (STZ) to induce T2DM model, and su...

-Catenin, an integral part of cadherin-catenin adhesion complexes, is a major binding partner of -catenin, a key component of the Wnt pathway, which activates T-cell factor (TCF)/lymphoid enhancer factor (LEF) transcription and is often upregulated in cancers. Recently, we identified an -catenin-related protein, -catulin, whose function is poorly understood, as part of a Rho GTPase signaling co...

Cadherins are calcium-dependent, cell surface glycoproteins involved in cell-cell adhesion. To function in cell-cell adhesion, the transmembrane cadherin molecule must be associated with the cytoskeleton via cytoplasmic proteins known as catenins. Three catenins, α-catenin, β-catenin and γ-catenin (also known as plakoglobin), have been identified. β-catenin or plakoglobin is associated directly...

The Wnt/β-catenin signalling and autophagy pathways each play important roles during development, adult tissue homeostasis and tumorigenesis. Here we identify the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway as a negative regulator of both basal and stress-induced autophagy. Manipulation of β-catenin expression levels in vitro and in vivo revealed that β-catenin suppresses autophagosome formation and direc...

-Catenin and T cell factor (Tcf) are distal components of the highly conserved Wnt pathway that govern cell fate and proliferation in lower organisms. Thus, we hypothesized that the regulation of -catenin and Tcf played a critical role in vascular remodeling. The first objective was to define -catenin expression in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) after balloon injury. Indeed, -catenin mRNA...

Background: LGR5 is one of the most important stem cell markers for colorectal cancer (CRC), as it potentiates Wnt/Β-catenin signaling. The well-characterized deregulation signaling that occurs during adenoma/carcinoma sequence in CRC renders a hopeful therapeutic target. We assessed immunohistochemical expression and Β-catenin normal colonic tumorous lesions with clinicopathological correlatio...

α-Catenin is an F-actin-binding protein widely recognized for its role in cell-cell adhesion. However, a growing body of literature indicates that α-catenin is also a nuclear protein. In this study, we show that α-catenin is able to modulate the sensitivity of cells to DNA damage and toxicity. Furthermore, nuclear α-catenin is actively recruited to sites of DNA damage. This recruitment occurs i...