Background of the antigen
The catenins are ubiquitously expressed, cytoplasmic proteins that associate with E-cadherin at cellular junctions. Catenin/cadherin complexes play an important role in mediating cellular adhesion. alpha T-catenin, also referred to as VR22, is a 895-amino acid protein that is most abundantally expressed in cardiomyocytes and in the peritubular myoid cells of the testis. alpha T-catenin binds to alpha E-catenin as well as to beta-catenin, and it functions to inhibit Wnt signaling. CTNNA3, the gene that encodes for alpha-T-catenin, is located on chromosome 10, and mutations in this gene show a strong correlation to late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) as well as to dilated cardiomyopathy.
