title: Balancing cell adhesion and Wnt signaling, the key role of beta-catenin.
abstract: Controlled regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation is essential for embryonic development and requires the coordinated regulation of cell-cell adhesion and gene transcription. The armadillo repeat protein beta-catenin is an important integrator of both processes. Beta-catenin acts in the Wnt signaling pathway, activating the transcription of crucial target genes responsible for cellular proliferation and differentiation. Beta-catenin also controls E-cadherin-mediated cell adhesion at the plasma membrane and mediates the interplay of adherens junction molecules with the actin cytoskeleton. Both functions of beta-catenin are de-regulated in human malignancies, thereby leading both to the loss of cell-cell adhesion and to the increased transcription of Wnt target genes.
authors.affiliation: Max Delbrueck Centre for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Roessle-Strasse 10, D-13125 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Felix H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Brembeck
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosário
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Birchmeier
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014443:Tyrosine / Q000737:chemistry; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C111180:BCL9 protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin; D014443:Tyrosine