Three catenin proteins, a, b and g, bind to the highly conserved, intracellular cytoplasmic tail of E-cadherin. The catenin/cadherin complexes play an important role mediating cellular adhesion. Not only associated with E-cadherin, a-catenin was also shown to associate with other members of the cadherin family, such as N-cadherin and P-cadherin. b-catenin associates with the cytoplasmic portion of E-cadherin, which is necessary for the function of E-cadherin as an adhesion molecule. b-catenin has also been found in complexes with the tumor suppressor protein APC. g-catenin, also known as plakoglobin, is a protein that binds with a-catenin and N-cadherin. It has been shown that the transmembrane phosphatase PTP associates with catenin/cadherin complexes and may regulate complex signaling.
Intended for research use only. Not for use in human, therapeutic, or diagnostic applications.