Multifunctional β-catenin, with critical roles in both cell-cell adhesion and Wnt-signaling pathways, was among HeLa cell proteins coimmunoprecipitated by antibodies against brefeldin A-inhibited guanine nucleotide-exchange factors 1 and 2 (BIG1 or BIG2) that activate ADP-ribosylation factors (Arfs) by accelerating the replacement of bound GDP with GTP. BIG proteins also contain A-kinase anchoring protein (AKAP) sequences that can act as scaffolds for multimolecular assemblies that facilitate and limit cAMP signaling temporally and spatially. Direct interaction of BIG1 N-terminal sequence with β-catenin was confirmed using yeast two-hybrid assays and in vitro synthesized proteins. Depletion of BIG1 and/or BIG2 or overexpression of guanine nucleotide-exchange factor inactive mutant, but not wild-type, proteins interfered with β-catenin trafficking, leading to accumulation at perinuclear Golgi structures. Both phospholipase D activity and vesicular trafficking were required for effects of BIG1 and BIG2 on β-catenin activation. Levels of PKAphosphorylated β-catenin S675 and β-catenin association with PKA, BIG1, and BIG2 were also diminished after BIG1/BIG2 depletion. Inferring a requirement for BIG1 and/or BIG2 AKAP sequence in PKA modification of β-catenin and its effect on transcription activation, we confirmed dependence of S675 phosphorylation and transcription coactivator function on BIG2 AKAP-C sequence.ADP-ribosylation factor | cell migration | AKAP | phospholipase D M ultifunctional β-catenin is an essential component of intercellular adherens junctions (AJs) that link cell surface cadherin and actin cytoskeleton via interactions with both. β-catenin is also a transcriptional coactivator in several pathways, including Wnt-initiated signaling (1, 2), which is critical in embryonic development and tissue homeostasis or pathology (2, 3). In the absence of "canonical" catenin-dependent Wnt signaling, cytoplasmic β-catenin is maintained at low levels via phosphorylations of S45 and S33, S37 and T41 by, respectively, casein kinase-1 and glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) (1, 2). Subsequent degradation of β-catenin via an ubiquitin/proteasome pathway involves axin and adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) as scaffold proteins, plus β-transducin repeat-containing protein (β-TrCP), an E3 ubiquitin ligase. In one well-known model, binding of Wnt to Frizzled (Fz) and its coreceptor low-density lipoprotein receptor-like protein 5 or 6 (LRP5/6) resulted in GSK-3 sequestration in multivesicular bodies, thereby reducing its cytosolic level (4, 5). With lower GSK-3 activity, "stabilized" β-catenin (1, 2) entered the nucleus and, along with members of the T-cell factor (TCF)/lymphoid enhancer factor (LEF) family, activated transcription via Wnt-target gene promoters, including c-myc and cyclin D1 (6-8). In β-catenin knockout mice, embryogenesis was arrested at gastrulation (9) and aberrant Wnt signaling led to tumor development (2, 3).Although relationships between labile and stabilized β-catenin pools remain poorly understood, ...