BackgroundInformation | Thecateninsarepolypeptidesthatbindtotheconservedcytoplasmictailofcadherinsandarerequiredforcadherinfunction(Gumbineretal.1993).a-cateninisa102kDaproteinthatisassociatedwiththecadherinindirectlythroughitsinteractionwithbeta-cateninandgamma-catenin(Fouquetetal.1992).beta-Cateninanditshomologplakoglobinassociatedirectlywiththecadherin(Butzetal.1994).Thus,thecell-celladherensjunctionisastructurecomposedofthetransmembranecadherin,whichisassociateddirectlywitheitherbeta-cateninorplakoglobin,whichinturnassoctiatesdirectlywithalpha-catenin.alpha-cateninthenmediatestheinteractionbetweenthecadherin-catenincomplexandtheactinCytoskeleton(Nagafuchietal.1994;Shahiduletal.1996).alpha-cateninhasbeencharacterizedasatumorsuppressor,suggestingthatitmayhavearegulatoryfunctioninregulationtoitsstructuralrole(Rudiger1998). |