Intracellular pH regulates β-catenin with low pHi increasing adhesion and signaling functions.

ABSTRACT: Intracellular pH (pHi) dynamics are linked to cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. The adherens junction (AJ) and signaling protein β-catenin has decreased abundance at high pHi due to increased proteasomal-mediated degradation. However, the effects of low pHi on β-catenin abundance and function have not been characterized. Here, we use population-level and single-cell assays to show that low pHi stabilizes β-catenin, increasing junctional, cytoplasmic, and nuclear abundance. We assayed single-cell protein degradation rates to show that β-catenin half-life is longer at low pHi and shorter at high pHi compared to control. Importantly, a constitutively stabilized and pHi-insensitive β-catenin mutant (β-catenin-H36R), has a longer and pHi-independent half-life. We also determin

SUBMITTER: Czowski BJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10996556 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature