Anti-Alpha-Catenin Antibody, clone 1G5 clone 1G5, from mouse

Catenin alpha 1 (UniProt: E1C7M7) is encoded by the CTNNA1 gene in chicken. Catenins are a large family of cell-cell adhesion molecules that are involved in development and in epithelial cell polarity. Catenins are reported to associate with both E- and N-cadherins. The association of catenins to cadherins creates a complex that is linked to the actin filament network, and which seems to be of primary importance for cadherins cell-adhesion properties. Alpha-Catenin is considered as an important regulator of actin dynamics in cell-cell adhesion and it forms a heterodimer with beta-Catenin and links the cadherins to actin. Unlike other catenins, alpha-catenin does not bind to cadherins directly, but is linked to the adhesive complexes of AJs via association with -catenin. Alpha-catenin can also bind and bundle actin filaments and can interact with a number of protein regulators of actin filament turnover. Usually cells contain a significant amount of cadherin-free alpha-catenin and this pool of free alpha-catenin can impact actin dynamics, such as limiting Arp2/3-based actin polymerization and severing by cofilin that ultimately promotes the assembly and stabilization of unbranched filament bundles. Alpha-catenin expression in a colon cancer cell lines has been correlated with increased Tcf-dependent transcription and is shown to inhibit beta-catenin signaling in the nucleus by interfering with the formation of a beta-catenin-Tcf-DNA complex. (Ref.: Giannini, AL et al. (2000). J. Bol. Chem. 275(29); 21883-8).