Structure and regulation of beta-catenin during cell-cell adhesion

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The cadherin-catenin complex (CCC) is crucial for successful completion of morphogenesis during embryonic development, and for suppression of metastatic phenotypes in differentiated epithelia. Beta-catenin is a core component of the CCC; analyzing and manipulating the adhesive functions of beta-catenin thus has widespread implications for human health. To date, distinguishing between adhesion and Tcf/Lef-dependent transcriptional coactivator functions of beta-catenin, and correlating detailed protein structural information with in vivo function has been challenging in vertebrates. C. elegans presents a unique opportunity to analyze the adhesion- specific roles of a beta-catenin, because it possesses multiple, specialized beta -catenins. We will leverage this unique specialization, combined with a powerful foundation of detailed structural information derived from a collaborative X-ray crystallography project, to establish a new, multi- disciplinary approach to the study of beta-catenins in the following aims: Aim 1. Test the role of a key phosphorylated residue in the C terminus of cadherin for the first time in vivo. We will test the in vivo importace of phosphorylation of a conserved serine that upregulates the affinity of cadherin for beta-catenin several hundred fold in vitro using biochemical and high-resolution microscopy in living embryos. Aim 2. Test the role of key phosphotyrosines in the adhesive functions of beta-catenin for the first time in vivo. We will test the in vivo importance of two highly conserved tyrosines, one that regulates cadherin/beta-catenin binding, and another that regulates beta-catenin/beta-catenin binding. We will also assess the phosphorylation state of endogenous HMP-2 using affinity purification and mass spectrometry and identify a panel of new hmp-2 alleles, which will provide information about amino acids important specifically for the adhesive functions of beta-catenin. Aim 3. Test the role of a conserved helical domain in beta-catenin for its activity as a transcriptional coactivator. HMP-2 lacks a helical domain ("Helix C") just C-terminal to the 12th Arm repeat that is conserved in all beta-catenins known to have canonical transcriptional co- activator functions. BAR-1 binds POP-1/Tcf with high affinity, and retains Helix C. We will test the role of Helix C using domain-swap experiments between HMP-2 and BAR-1, and assessing Tcf binding in vitro and coactivator functions in vivo.