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Beyond β-catenin: prospects for a larger catenin network in the nucleus

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 17, pages 55–64 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

β-catenin is widely regarded as the primary transducer of canonical WNT signals to the nucleus. In most vertebrates, there are eight additional catenins that are structurally related to β-catenin, and three α-catenin genes encoding actin-binding proteins that are structurally related to vinculin. Although these catenins were initially identified in association with cadherins at cell–cell junctions, more recent evidence suggests that the majority of catenins also localize to the nucleus and regulate gene expression. Moreover, the number of catenins reported to be responsive to canonical WNT signals is increasing. Here, we posit that multiple catenins form a functional network in the nucleus, possibly engaging in conserved protein–protein interactions that are currently better characterized in the context of actin-based cell junctions.

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Figure 1: An overview of vertebrate catenins.
Figure 2: Conditions that promote catenin nuclear signalling.
Figure 3: p120 catenin isoform 1 is responsive to canonical WNT signals.
Figure 4: p120 catenin modulates gene transcription via various zinc-finger domain transcriptional repressors.
Figure 5: Models for transcription inhibition by αE-catenin.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank their colleagues in the field, and the reviewers for their helpful comments, and apologize to those whose work was not cited owing to space considerations. P.D.M. was supported by U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant GM107079 and C.J.G. by GM076561.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, 77030, Texas, USA

    Pierre D. McCrea

  2. Department of Medicine, Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, 60612, Illinois, USA

    Cara J. Gottardi

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  1. Pierre D. McCrea
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Correspondence to Pierre D. McCrea or Cara J. Gottardi.

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McCrea, P., Gottardi, C. Beyond β-catenin: prospects for a larger catenin network in the nucleus. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 17, 55–64 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm.2015.3

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