The distinct peripheral cytosolic proteins, alpha, beta and gamma catenin (102, 94 and 86 kDa) are found in many tissues and bind to the conserved cytoplasmic tail domain of the cell adhesion cadherins. Catenins link E cadherin to other integral membrane or cytoplasmic proteins and are modulated by Wnt1 proto oncogene. The central core region of beta catenin is involved in mediation of cadherin catenin complex interaction with EGFR. Beta-Catenin-mediated signalling is involved at several stages of vertebrate neural development.
