Methods to measure nuclear export of beta-catenin using fixed and live cell assays.

beta-Catenin is a multifunctional protein which is overexpressed in several types of cancers. The subcellular location of beta-catenin at the membrane junctions or in the nucleus determines its function in cell adhesion and transcription activation, respectively. The aberrant localization of beta-catenin in the nucleus activates transcription of a number of genes involved in cancer progression. Our laboratory studies intracellular trafficking of beta-catenin with particular emphasis on its movement and regulation in and out of the nucleus. In this chapter, we outline a number of assays to measure the nuclear export of beta-catenin in fixed and live cells.