title: beta-catenin is a target for the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.
abstract: beta-catenin is a central component of the cadherin cell adhesion complex and plays an essential role in the Wingless/Wnt signaling pathway. In the current model of this pathway, the amount of beta-catenin (or its invertebrate homolog Armadillo) is tightly regulated and its steady-state level outside the cadherin-catenin complex is low in the absence of Wingless/Wnt signal. Here we show that the ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis system is involved in the regulation of beta-catenin turnover. beta-catenin, but not E-cadherin, p120(cas) or alpha-catenin, becomes stabilized when proteasome-mediated proteolysis is inhibited and this leads to the accumulation of multi-ubiquitinated forms of beta-catenin. Mutagenesis experiments demonstrate that substitution of the serine residues in the glycogen synthase kinase 3beta (GSK3beta) phosphorylation consensus motif of beta-catenin inhibits ubiquitination and results in stabilization of the protein. This motif in beta-catenin resembles a motif in IkappaB (inhibitor of NFkappaB) which is required for the phosphorylation-dependent degradation of IkappaB via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. We show that ubiquitination of beta-catenin is greatly reduced in Wnt-expressing cells, providing the first evidence that the ubiquitin-proteasome degradation pathway may act downstream of GSK3beta in the regulation of beta-catenin.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck Institute for Immunobiology, Department of Molecular Embryology, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aberle
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stappert
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kispert
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kemler
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3; D038341:Glycogen Synthase Kinases; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D046988:Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014452:Ubiquitins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051176:beta Catenin
chemical_list: C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; C495267:CTNNB1 protein, mouse; D015820:Cadherins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014452:Ubiquitins; D051176:beta Catenin; D038341:Glycogen Synthase Kinases; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D046988:Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex