THE GENE FOR THE APC-BINDING PROTEIN BETA-CATENIN (CTNNB1) MAPS TO CHROMOSOME 3P22, A REGION FREQUENTLY ALTERED IN HUMAN MALIGNANCIES

beta-Catenin is one of the E-cadherin associated proteins involved in the process of cellular adhesion. It has recently been shown to intera ct with the APC protein whose gene is known to be mutated in the germl ine of familial adenomatous polyposis patients. This interaction impli es that beta-catenin is a potential regulator of the APC gene. The loc alization of the human beta-catenin gene (CTNNB1) to chromosome 3p22, by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), has linked the gene to a region that is frequently altered in several human malignancies. The l ocation of the gene and the protein interactions suggest the importanc e of beta-catenin in the etiology of various human cancers.