Beta Catenin is a cytosolic, 88 kDa intracellular protein that tightly associates with cell surface cadherin glycoproteins. It is one member of the catenin family that includes alpha Catenin, beta Catenin, and gamma Catenin. Colocalization studies using beta-catenin antibodies demonstrate that beta-catenin is a crucial link between cytoplasmic, cytoskeletal actin and transmembrane cadherin for tight cell-to-cell adhesion (1,2). Beta-catenin enters the nucleus and interacts with the Lymphoid enhancer factor-1 (LEF1) transcription factor family. It is normally inhibited by the glycogen synthase kinase (GSK) or casein kinase 1 as phosphorylation of beta-catenin targets it for ubiquitin-mediated degredation. The beta-catenin/TCF pathway is implicated in T-cell development and differentiation and could be a possible target for both immune and autoimmune disorders (3). Luckert, at el. used beta-catenin antibody in a dual bead-based miniaturized array to monitor beta-catenin pathway signaling networks in cellular samples (4). Recently, beta-catenin antibody studies from an oncology lab suggest that the ZEB1 transcription factor is an effector of beta-catenin/TCF4 signaling in epithelial cell transformation/progression and colorectal carcinoma tumor invasiveness (5). An additional role for beta-catenin in bone remodeling and osteoclastogenesis in bone pathological disorders has been identified through use of beta-catenin antibodies (6,7).
