User:Yanchen91/sandbox

β-catenin is a dual function protein, regulating the coordination of cell–cell adhesion and gene transcription, processes essential for early embryonic development. β-catenin plays a role in cell-cell adhesion by controlling cadherin-mediated cell adhesion at the plasma membrane and by mediating the interplay of adherens junction molecules with the actin cytoskeleton. At the plasma membrane, β-catenin by functions by linking cadherins (E-cad) to α-catenin (α-cat). As a component of adherens junctions, β-catenin binds to the intracellular domain of the transmembrane protein cadherin, a Ca2+-dependent adhesion molecule, and links cadherin to the actin cytoskeleton through the adaptor protein α-catenin. The E-cadherin–β-catenin–α-catenin linked complex at the adherens junctions allows for the formation of a dynamic, rather than a stable, link to the actin cytoskeleton.