The Alpha-, Beta-, Gamma-, and Delta -catenins are proteins that bind to the highly conserved, intracellular cytoplasmic tail of E-cadherin. Together, the catenin/cadherin complexes play an important role mediating cellular adhesion. Alpha-catenin interacts with E-cadherin associated protein and also associates with other members of the cadherin family, such as N-cadherin and P-cadherin. Beta-catenin associates with the cytoplasmic portion of E-cadherin, which is necessary for the function o