beta-Catenin is a
cadherin-
binding protein involved in cell-cell adhesion, which also functions as a transcriptional activator when complexed in the nucleus with members of the
T-cell factor (TCF)/
lymphoid enhancer factor (LEF) family of
proteins. There is considerable interest in mechanisms that down-regulate
beta-catenin, since this provides an avenue for the prevention of colorectal and other
cancers in which
beta-catenin is frequently over-expressed. We show here that physiologically relevant concentrations of the
tea polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) inhibited
beta-catenin/TCF-dependent reporter activity in human embryonic kidney 293 cells transfected with wild type or mutant beta-
catenins, and there was a corresponding decrease in
beta-catenin protein levels in the nuclear, cytosolic and membrane-associated fractions. However,
beta-catenin accumulated as punctate aggregates in response to EGCG treatment, including in human
colon cancer cells over-expressing
beta-catenin endogenously. Confocal microscopy studies revealed that the aggregated
beta-catenin in HEK293 cells was extra-nuclear and co-localized with lysosomes, suggesting that EGCG activated a pathway involving lysosomal trafficking of
beta-catenin. Lysosomal inhibitors
leupeptin and transepoxysuccinyl-l-leucylamido(4-guanido)butane produced an increase in
beta-catenin protein in total cell lysates, without a concomitant increase in
beta-catenin transcriptional activity. These data provide the first evidence that EGCG facilitates the trafficking of
beta-catenin into lysosomes, presumably as a mechanism for sequestering
beta-catenin and circumventing further nuclear transport and activation of
beta-catenin/TCF/LEF signaling.