The B-Catenin Interactome in Myogenic Cells

Beta-catenin is a versatile protein implicated in a wide range of cellular processes including cell fate determination, proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, and cell survival. Beta-catenin performs its cellular functions through protein-protein interactions since it lacks the ability to interact directly with DNA. Our group has characterized the beta-catenin protein interactome in myogenic cells using a GFP-Nanotrap based affinity purification approach followed LC-MS/MS analysis which produced a comprehensive list of established and potential beta-catenin interactors. The objective of this study was to investigate the beta-catenin interactome dataset to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the function of beta-catenin in myogenic cells. To address this objective, we have used bioinformatic and biochemical approaches directed at identifying one potential beta-catenin binding partner and investigating its effect on beta-catenin’s function.