Monoclonal Anti-β-Catenin (mouse IgG1 isotype) is derived from the 15B8 hybridoma produced by the fusion of mouse myeloma cells and splenocytes from BALB/c mice. β-catenin belongs to the armadillo family and comprises the N-terminal region with 12 imperfect repeats?and a conserved C-terminal region. The locus 3p22.1 in the human chromosome harbors β-catenin gene. β-catenin shares 70% sequence identity to a protein encoded by Drosophila armadillo, a segment polarity gene. Both armadillo and β-catenin share considerable homology with plakoglobin, which has been proposed to be γ-catenin.
β-catenin is a prime component of the wingless (Wnt) pathway and plays a key role in gene expression during development. The homology between β-catenin and armadillo raised the possibility that β-catenin has a developmental signaling role in vertebrates. β-catenin mediates the interaction of the E-cadherin-catenin complex with the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor. β-catenin and plakoglobin are substrates for tyrosine phosphorylation following EGF stimulation of cells. β-catenin also associates with the tumor suppressor protein adenomatous polyposis coli (APC). Monoclonal antibody reacting specifically with β-catenin is an essential tool in defining the interactions and distributions of β-catenin and its relationships with other catenins and cadherins in various cells and tissues.
