Albert B. Reynolds

P120 catenin (p120) is the prototypic member of a growing subfamily of Armadillo-domain proteins found at cell- cell junctions and in nuclei. In contrast to the functions of the classical catenins (α-catenin, β-catenin, and γ- catenin/plakoglobin), which have been studied extensively, the first clues to p120’s biological function have only recently emerged, and its role remains controversial. Nonetheless, it is now clear that p120 affects cell-cell adhesion through its interaction with the highly conserved juxtamembrane domain of classical cadherins, and is likely to have additional roles in the nucleus. Here, we summarize the data on the potential involvement of p120 both in promotion of and in prevension of adhesion, and propose models that attempt to reconcile some of the disparities in the literature. We also discuss the structural relationships and functions of several known p120 family members, as well as the potential roles of p120 in signaling and cancer.

ARVCF is a novel Armadillo repeat domain protein that is closely related to the catenin p120ctn. Using new ARVCF monoclonal antibodies, we have found that ARVCF associates with E-cadherin and competes with p120 for interaction with the E-cadherin juxtamembrane domain. ARVCF also localized to the nucleus in some cell types, however, and was significantly more nucleophilic than p120. Surprisingly, despite apparently ubiquitous expression, ARVCF was at least tenfold less abundant than p120 in a wide variety of cell types, and was difficult to detect by immunofluorescence unless overexpressed. Consequently, it is not likely to be abundant enough in adult tissues to functionally compete with p120. ARVCF also completely lacked the ability to induce the cell-branching phenotype associated with overexpression of p120. Expression of ARVCF/p120 chimeras confirmed previous results indicating that the branching activity of p120 maps to its Armadillo repeat domain. Surprisingly, the preferential localization of ARVCF to the nucleus required sequences in the amino-terminal end of ARVCF, suggesting that the sequences directing nuclear translocation of ARVCF are distinct from the predicted bipartite nuclear localization signal located between repeats 6 and 7. The dual localization of ARVCF to junctions and to nuclei suggests activities in different cellular compartments, as is the case for several other Armadillo repeat proteins including β-catenin, p120 and the plakophilins.

P120^ctn is a catenin whose direct binding to the juxtamembrane domain of classical cadherins suggests a role in regulating cell–cell adhesion. The juxtamembrane domain has been implicated in a variety of roles including cadherin clustering, cell motility, and neuronal outgrowth, raising the possibility that p120 mediates these activities. We have generated minimal mutations in this region that uncouple the E-cadherin–p120 interaction, but do not affect interactions with other catenins. By stable transfection into E-cadherin–deficient cell lines, we show that cadherins are both necessary and sufficient for recruitment of p120 to junctions. Detergent-free subcellular fractionation studies indicated that, in contrast to previous reports, the stoichiometry of the interaction is extremely high. Unlike α- and β-catenins, p120 was metabolically stable in cadherin-deficient cells, and was present at high levels in the cytoplasm. Analysis of cells expressing E-cadherin mutant constructs indicated that p120 is required for the E-cadherin–mediated transition from weak to strong adhesion. In aggregation assays, cells expressing p120-uncoupled E-cadherin formed only weak cell aggregates, which immediately dispersed into single cells upon pipetting. As an apparent consequence, the actin cytoskeleton failed to insert properly into peripheral E-cadherin plaques, resulting in the inability to form a continuous circumferential ring around cell colonies. Our data suggest that p120 directly or indirectly regulates the E-cadherin–mediated transition to tight cell–cell adhesion, possibly blocking subsequent events necessary for reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton and compaction.

P120^ctn is an Armadillo repeat domain protein with structural similarity to the cell adhesion cofactors β-catenin and plakoglobin. All three proteins interact directly with the cytoplasmic domain of the transmembrane cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin; β-catenin and plakoglobin bind a carboxy-terminal region in a mutually exclusive manner, while p120 binds the juxtamembrane region. Unlike β-catenin and plakoglobin, p120 does not interact with α-catenin, the tumor suppressor adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), or the transcription factor Lef-1, suggesting that it has unique binding partners and plays a distinct role in the cadherin-catenin complex. Using p120 as bait, we conducted a yeast two-hybrid screen and identified a novel transcription factor which we named Kaiso. Kaiso’s deduced amino acid sequence revealed an amino-terminal BTB/POZ protein-protein interaction domain and three carboxy-terminal zinc fingers of the C₂H₂ DNA-binding type. Kaiso thus belongs to a rapidly growing family of POZ-ZF transcription factors that include the Drosophila developmental regulators Tramtrak and Bric à brac, and the human oncoproteins BCL-6 and PLZF, which are causally linked to non-Hodgkins’ lymphoma and acute promyelocytic leukemia, respectively. Monoclonal antibodies to Kaiso were generated and used to immunolocalize the protein and confirm the specificity of the p120-Kaiso interaction in mammalian cells. Kaiso specifically coprecipitated with a variety of p120-specific monoclonal antibodies but not with antibodies to α- or β-catenin, E-cadherin, or APC. Like other POZ-ZF proteins, Kaiso localized to the nucleus and was associated with specific nuclear dots. Yeast two-hybrid interaction assays mapped the binding domains to Arm repeats 1 to 7 of p120 and the carboxy-terminal 200 amino acids of Kaiso. In addition, Kaiso homodimerized via its POZ domain but it did not heterodimerize with BCL-6, which heterodimerizes with PLZF. The involvement of POZ-ZF proteins in development and cancer makes Kaiso an interesting candidate for a downstream effector of cadherin and/or p120 signaling.