What is the function of beta catenin?

In the canonical Wnt cascade, β-catenin is the key effector responsible for transduction of the signal to the nucleus and it triggers transcription of Wnt-specific genes responsible for the control of cell fate decisions in many cells and tissues.

What is the molecular function of β-catenin itself?

β-catenin is a dual functional protein, which acts as a key structural molecule in E-cadherin mediated cell-to-cell adhesion, and also plays an important role in Wnt signaling pathways (3).

What does APC do in the destruction complex?

The tumor suppressor Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) negatively regulates Wnt signaling through its activity in the destruction complex. APC binds directly to the main effector of the pathway, β-catenin (βcat, Drosophila Armadillo), and helps to target it for degradation.

How is B catenin activated?

β-Catenin activation is associated with increased cytotrophoblast invasion in response to a variety of cellular stimuli. However, whether β-catenin activation directly causes enhanced invasiveness of cytotrophoblast cells or is a consequence of differentiation to a more invasive lineage is not yet known.

What is Wnt β-catenin pathway?

The canonical Wnt pathway (or Wnt/β-catenin pathway) is the Wnt pathway that causes an accumulation of β-catenin in the cytoplasm and its eventual translocation into the nucleus to act as a transcriptional coactivator of transcription factors that belong to the TCF/LEF family.

What is beta catenin destruction complex?

At the heart of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway is the β-catenin destruction complex, which functions in the absence of Wnt signaling to keep the cytosolic and nuclear levels of β-catenin very low by promoting the phosphorylation and ubiquitination of β-catenin.

Does Wnt stabilize beta-catenin?

Wnts also stabilize β-catenin via inhibition of GSK-3β, but, in contrast to hypertrophic signaling, this is not believed to involve PKB-induced Ser-9 phosphorylation (16, 32).