- In normal epithelial cells, β-catenin is sequestered at the adherens junctions via interaction with E-cadherin, helping maintain junctional integrity and limiting its availability for nuclear signaling.
- In AGS cells, due to loss or very low expression of E-cadherin, β-catenin is not efficiently retained at the plasma membrane. Instead, a larger cytoplasmic pool is present and is more prone to translocation to the nucleus, where it can activate transcription of Wnt/β-catenin target genes.
