Mechanistic insights from structural studies of β-catenin and its binding partners

W Xu, D Kimelman - Journal of cell science, 2007 - journals.biologists.com
W Xu, D Kimelman
Journal of cell science, 2007journals.biologists.com
β-catenin is both a crucial regulator of cell adhesion and the central effector of the canonical
Wnt signaling pathway. It functions as a protein organizer by interacting with numerous
partners at the membrane, in the cytosol, and in the nucleus. Recent structural and
biochemical studies have revealed how β-catenin engages in critical protein-protein
interactions by using its armadillo repeat region and its N-and C-terminal domains. The
groove in the armadillo repeat region is a particularly interesting feature of β-catenin, since it …
β-catenin is both a crucial regulator of cell adhesion and the central effector of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway. It functions as a protein organizer by interacting with numerous partners at the membrane, in the cytosol, and in the nucleus. Recent structural and biochemical studies have revealed how β-catenin engages in critical protein-protein interactions by using its armadillo repeat region and its N- and C-terminal domains. The groove in the armadillo repeat region is a particularly interesting feature of β-catenin, since it serves as a common binding site for several β-catenin-binding partners, with steric hindrance limiting which partners can be bound at a specific time. These studies provide important insights into β-catenin-mediated mechanisms of cell adhesion and Wnt signaling and suggest potential approaches for the design of therapeutic agents to treat diseases caused by misregulated β-catenin expression.
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