αE-catenin, also known as Catenin alpha-1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CTNNA1gene.[1][2] αE-catenin is highly expressed in cardiac muscle and localizes to adherens junctions at intercalated disc structures where it functions to mediate the anchorage of actin filaments to the sarcolemma. αE-catenin also plays a role in tumor metastasis and skin cell function.
Though αE-catenin exhibits substantial expression in cardiac muscle, αE-catenin is most well known for role in metastasizing tumor cells.[7] αE-catenin also plays a role in epithelial tissue, both at adherens junctions and in signaling pathways.[8]
Functional αE-catenin is required for normal embryonic development, as a mutation eliminating the C-terminal 1/3 of the protein resulting in a complete loss-of-function phenotype showed disruption of the trophoblastepithelium and arrested development at the blastocyst stage.[10]
αE-catenin specifically, not β- or γ-catenin, binds F-actin and organizes and tethers the filaments at regions of cell-cell contact. Studies show that full-length αE-catenin binds and bundles F-actin in a superior fashion relative to individual N-terminal or C-terminal domains.[11]
αE-catenin, along with β-catenin and plakoglobin form distinct complexes with N-cadherin that are involved in forming cell-cell contacts and differentiation of cardiomyocytes. Catenin-N-cadherin complexes are apparently necessary for and precede the first cell to cell contact, precursory to gap junction formation.[12] The anchorage of cadherin-catenin complexes to actin filaments by αE-catenin is regulated by tyrosinephosphorylation.[13]
Functional insights into αE-catenin function have come from studies employing transgenesis. Mice harboring a cardiac-specific deletion of αE-catenin exhibited abnormalities in cardiac dimensions and function, representative of dilated cardiomyopathy. This was further characterized by disorganization of intercalated disc structures and mitochondria, as well as compensatory increases in β-catenin and decreases in localization of cadherin and vinculin at intercalated discs. Knockout mice also exhibited high susceptibility to death following stress.[14]
↑Janssens B, Goossens S, Staes K, Gilbert B, van Hengel J, Colpaert C, Bruyneel E, Mareel M, van Roy F (Sep 2001). "alphaT-catenin: a novel tissue-specific beta-catenin-binding protein mediating strong cell-cell adhesion". Journal of Cell Science. 114 (Pt 17): 3177–88. PMID11590244.
↑Breen E, Clarke A, Steele G, Mercurio AM (Dec 1993). "Poorly differentiated colon carcinoma cell lines deficient in alpha-catenin expression express high levels of surface E-cadherin but lack Ca(2+)-dependent cell-cell adhesion". Cell Adhesion and Communication. 1 (3): 239–50. doi:10.3109/15419069309097257. PMID8081881.
↑Vasioukhin V, Bauer C, Degenstein L, Wise B, Fuchs E (Feb 2001). "Hyperproliferation and defects in epithelial polarity upon conditional ablation of alpha-catenin in skin". Cell. 104 (4): 605–17. doi:10.1016/s0092-8674(01)00246-x. PMID11239416.
↑Jamora C, Fuchs E (Apr 2002). "Intercellular adhesion, signalling and the cytoskeleton". Nature Cell Biology. 4 (4): E101–8. doi:10.1038/ncb0402-e101. PMID11944044.
↑Hertig CM, Butz S, Koch S, Eppenberger-Eberhardt M, Kemler R, Eppenberger HM (Jan 1996). "N-cadherin in adult rat cardiomyocytes in culture. II. Spatio-temporal appearance of proteins involved in cell-cell contact and communication. Formation of two distinct N-cadherin/catenin complexes". Journal of Cell Science. 109 (1): 11–20. PMID8834786.
↑Sheikh F, Chen Y, Chen Y, Liang X, Hirschy A, Stenbit AE, Gu Y, Dalton ND, Yajima T, Lu Y, Knowlton KU, Peterson KL, Perriard JC, Chen J (Sep 2006). "alpha-E-catenin inactivation disrupts the cardiomyocyte adherens junction, resulting in cardiomyopathy and susceptibility to wall rupture". Circulation. 114 (10): 1046–55. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.106.634469. PMID16923756.
↑Su LK, Vogelstein B, Kinzler KW (December 1993). "Association of the APC tumor suppressor protein with catenins". Science. 262 (5140): 1734–7. doi:10.1126/science.8259519. PMID8259519.
↑Oyama T, Kanai Y, Ochiai A, Akimoto S, Oda T, Yanagihara K, Nagafuchi A, Tsukita S, Shibamoto S, Ito F (December 1994). "A truncated beta-catenin disrupts the interaction between E-cadherin and alpha-catenin: a cause of loss of intercellular adhesiveness in human cancer cell lines". Cancer Res. 54 (23): 6282–7. PMID7954478.
↑ 18.018.1Roe S, Koslov ER, Rimm DL (June 1998). "A mutation in alpha-catenin disrupts adhesion in clone A cells without perturbing its actin and beta-catenin binding activity". Cell Adhes. Commun. 5 (4): 283–96. doi:10.3109/15419069809040298. PMID9762469.
↑Navarro P, Lozano E, Cano A (August 1993). "Expression of E- or P-cadherin is not sufficient to modify the morphology and the tumorigenic behavior of murine spindle carcinoma cells. Possible involvement of plakoglobin". J. Cell Sci. 105 (4): 923–34. PMID8227214.
↑Takahashi K, Suzuki K, Tsukatani Y (July 1997). "Induction of tyrosine phosphorylation and association of beta-catenin with EGF receptor upon tryptic digestion of quiescent cells at confluence". Oncogene. 15 (1): 71–8. doi:10.1038/sj.onc.1201160. PMID9233779.
↑ 26.026.1Schmeiser K, Grand RJ (April 1999). "The fate of E- and P-cadherin during the early stages of apoptosis". Cell Death Differ. 6 (4): 377–86. doi:10.1038/sj.cdd.4400504. PMID10381631.
↑Straub BK, Boda J, Kuhn C, Schnoelzer M, Korf U, Kempf T, Spring H, Hatzfeld M, Franke WW (December 2003). "A novel cell-cell junction system: the cortex adhaerens mosaic of lens fiber cells". J. Cell Sci. 116 (Pt 24): 4985–95. doi:10.1242/jcs.00815. PMID14625392.
↑Wahl JK, Kim YJ, Cullen JM, Johnson KR, Wheelock MJ (May 2003). "N-cadherin-catenin complexes form prior to cleavage of the proregion and transport to the plasma membrane". J. Biol. Chem. 278 (19): 17269–76. doi:10.1074/jbc.M211452200. PMID12604612.
↑Klingelhöfer J, Troyanovsky RB, Laur OY, Troyanovsky S (August 2000). "Amino-terminal domain of classic cadherins determines the specificity of the adhesive interactions". J. Cell Sci. 113 (16): 2829–36. PMID10910767.
↑Sacco PA, McGranahan TM, Wheelock MJ, Johnson KR (August 1995). "Identification of plakoglobin domains required for association with N-cadherin and alpha-catenin". J. Biol. Chem. 270 (34): 20201–6. doi:10.1074/jbc.270.34.20201. PMID7650039.
↑Obama H, Ozawa M (April 1997). "Identification of the domain of alpha-catenin involved in its association with beta-catenin and plakoglobin (gamma-catenin)". J. Biol. Chem. 272 (17): 11017–20. doi:10.1074/jbc.272.17.11017. PMID9110993.
↑Lewalle JM, Bajou K, Desreux J, Mareel M, Dejana E, Noël A, Foidart JM (December 1997). "Alteration of interendothelial adherens junctions following tumor cell-endothelial cell interaction in vitro". Exp. Cell Res. 237 (2): 347–56. doi:10.1006/excr.1997.3799. PMID9434630.
↑Shasby DM, Ries DR, Shasby SS, Winter MC (June 2002). "Histamine stimulates phosphorylation of adherens junction proteins and alters their link to vimentin". Am. J. Physiol. Lung Cell Mol. Physiol. 282 (6): L1330–8. doi:10.1152/ajplung.00329.2001. PMID12003790.
Further reading
Nagafuchi A, Takeichi M, Tsukita S (1991). "The 102 kd cadherin-associated protein: similarity to vinculin and posttranscriptional regulation of expression". Cell. 65 (5): 849–57. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(91)90392-C. PMID1904011.
Sacco PA, McGranahan TM, Wheelock MJ, Johnson KR (1995). "Identification of plakoglobin domains required for association with N-cadherin and alpha-catenin". J. Biol. Chem. 270 (34): 20201–6. doi:10.1074/jbc.270.34.20201. PMID7650039.
Aberle H, Butz S, Stappert J, Weissig H, Kemler R, Hoschuetzky H (1995). "Assembly of the cadherin-catenin complex in vitro with recombinant proteins". J. Cell Sci. 107 (12): 3655–63. PMID7706414.
Rimm DL, Kebriaei P, Morrow JS (1994). "Molecular cloning reveals alternative splice forms of human alpha(E)-catenin". Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 203 (3): 1691–9. doi:10.1006/bbrc.1994.2381. PMID7945318.
Oyama T, Kanai Y, Ochiai A, Akimoto S, Oda T, Yanagihara K, Nagafuchi A, Tsukita S, Shibamoto S, Ito F (1994). "A truncated beta-catenin disrupts the interaction between E-cadherin and alpha-catenin: a cause of loss of intercellular adhesiveness in human cancer cell lines". Cancer Res. 54 (23): 6282–7. PMID7954478.
McPherson JD, Morton RA, Ewing CM, Wasmuth JJ, Overhauser J, Nagafuchi A, Tsukita S, Isaacs WB (1994). "Assignment of the human alpha-catenin gene (CTNNA1) to chromosome 5q21-q22". Genomics. 19 (1): 188–90. doi:10.1006/geno.1994.1042. PMID8188230.
Su LK, Vogelstein B, Kinzler KW (1994). "Association of the APC tumor suppressor protein with catenins". Science. 262 (5140): 1734–7. doi:10.1126/science.8259519. PMID8259519.
Oda T, Kanai Y, Shimoyama Y, Nagafuchi A, Tsukita S, Hirohashi S (1993). "Cloning of the human alpha-catenin cDNA and its aberrant mRNA in a human cancer cell line". Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 193 (3): 897–904. doi:10.1006/bbrc.1993.1710. PMID8323564.
Furukawa Y, Nakatsuru S, Nagafuchi A, Tsukita S, Muto T, Nakamura Y, Horii A (1993). "Structure, expression and chromosome assignment of the human catenin (cadherin-associated protein) alpha 1 gene (CTNNA1)". Cytogenet. Cell Genet. 65 (1–2): 74–8. doi:10.1159/000133603. PMID8404069.
Obama H, Ozawa M (1997). "Identification of the domain of alpha-catenin involved in its association with beta-catenin and plakoglobin (gamma-catenin)". J. Biol. Chem. 272 (17): 11017–20. doi:10.1074/jbc.272.17.11017. PMID9110993.
Linkels M, Bussemakers MJ, Nollet F, Ewing CM, van Roy F, Schalken JA (1997). "Molecular cloning of an alternative human alphaE-catenin cDNA". Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 237 (1): 177–81. doi:10.1006/bbrc.1997.7058. PMID9266853.
Lewalle JM, Bajou K, Desreux J, Mareel M, Dejana E, Noël A, Foidart JM (1998). "Alteration of interendothelial adherens junctions following tumor cell-endothelial cell interaction in vitro". Exp. Cell Res. 237 (2): 347–56. doi:10.1006/excr.1997.3799. PMID9434630.
Reuver SM, Garner CC (1998). "E-cadherin mediated cell adhesion recruits SAP97 into the cortical cytoskeleton". J. Cell Sci. 111 (8): 1071–80. PMID9512503.
Roe S, Koslov ER, Rimm DL (1998). "A mutation in alpha-catenin disrupts adhesion in clone A cells without perturbing its actin and beta-catenin binding activity". Cell Adhes. Commun. 5 (4): 283–96. doi:10.3109/15419069809040298. PMID9762469.
Itoh M, Morita K, Tsukita S (1999). "Characterization of ZO-2 as a MAGUK family member associated with tight as well as adherens junctions with a binding affinity to occludin and alpha catenin". J. Biol. Chem. 274 (9): 5981–6. doi:10.1074/jbc.274.9.5981. PMID10026224.