Part:BBa_K3450001

β-catenin is a human transcription factor responsible for effecting pro-survival and pro-proliferative signals downstream of the Wnt signalling cascade, through its Wnt-dependent protection from the cell’s proteasomal machinery. This feature can be exploited to ensure the cell-specific retention of proteins it is fused to, since protein fusions containing β-catenin are only stable in cells that receive and transduce Wnt signals, such as actively cycling stem cell niches.

It is to be noted, however, that the specificity of its retention can be hindered by N-terminal fusions, since its own N-terminus is responsible for interactions with the factors that degrade it.