Catenin, also known as Armadillo in Drosophila, is a multifunctional and evolutionarily conserved molecule that plays a key role in a wide range of developmental and homeostatic processes in metazoans. In more detail, -catenin is a crucial nuclear effector of canonical Wnt signalling in the nucleus and a structurally essential part of cadherin-based adherens junctions. Deregulated growth associated with cancer and metastasis is frequently caused by imbalances in the structural and signalling properties of Beta Catenin. In-depth investigation on the -catenin life cycle has revealed a nuanced picture. Here, we attempt to summarise and make some sense of the processes that govern -catenin as well as the abundance of -catenin binding partners in order to represent the state of the art.
