title: Proteolytic cleavage of beta-catenin by caspases: an in vitro analysis.
abstract: Cleavage of structural proteins by caspases has been associated with the severe morphological changes occurring during the apoptotic process. One of the proteins regulating the connection of the actin filament with cadherins in a cell-cell adhesion complex is beta-catenin. During apoptosis, both an N-terminal and a small C-terminal part are removed from beta-catenin. Removal of the N-terminal part may result in a disconnection of the actin filament from a cadherin cell-cell adhesion complex. We demonstrate that caspase-8, -3 and -6 directly proteolyse beta-catenin in vitro. However, the beta-catenin cleavage products generated by caspase-8 were different from those generated by caspase-3 or caspase-6. Caspase-1, -2, -4/11 and -7 did not or only very inefficiently cleave beta-catenin. These data suggest that activation of procaspase-3, -6 or -8 by different stimuli in the cell might result in a differential proteolysis of beta-catenin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology, University of Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van de Craen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Berx
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Van den Brande
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fiers
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Declercq
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vandenabeele
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D053148:Caspase 3; D053178:Caspase 6; D053181:Caspase 8; D053453:Caspase 9; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006868:Hydrolysis; D051379:Mice; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D010957:Plasmids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D051176:beta Catenin
chemical_list: C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; C495267:CTNNB1 protein, mouse; D015820:Cadherins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051176:beta Catenin; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; C505514:CASP6 protein, human; C505530:CASP8 protein, human; C506433:CASP9 protein, human; C505409:Casp3 protein, mouse; C505516:Casp6 protein, mouse; C505526:Casp8 protein, mouse; C506434:Casp9 protein, mouse; D053148:Caspase 3; D053178:Caspase 6; D053181:Caspase 8; D053453:Caspase 9; D020169:Caspases