Catenins are a family of proteins found in complexes with cadherin cell adhesion molecules of animal cells. The first two catenins that were identified became known as α-catenin and β-catenin. α-Catenin can bind to β-catenin and can also bind filamentous actin (F-actin). β-Catenin binds directly to the cytoplasmic tail of classical cadherins. Additional catenins such as γ-catenin and δ-catenin have been identified. The name "catenin" was originally selected ('catena' means 'chain' in Latin) because it was suspected that catenins might link cadherins to the cytoskeleton.

All but α-catenin contain armadillo repeats. They exhibit a high degree of protein dynamics, alone or in complex.^{[non-primary source needed]}

Several types of catenins work with N-cadherins to play an important role in learning and memory.

Cell-cell adhesion complexes are required for simple epithelia in higher organisms to maintain structure, function and polarity. These complexes, which help regulate cell growth in addition to creating and maintaining epithelial layers, are known as adherens junctions and they typically include at least cadherin, β-catenin, and α-catenin. Catenins play roles in cellular organization and polarity long before the development and incorporation of Wnt signaling pathways and cadherins.

The primary mechanical role of catenins is to connect cadherins to actin filaments, such as the adhesion junctions of epithelial cells. Most studies investigating catenin actions have focused on α-catenin and β-catenin. β-catenin is particularly interesting as it plays a dual role in the cell. First of all, by binding to cadherin receptor intracellular cytoplasmic tail domains, it can act as an integral component of a protein complex in adherens junctions that helps cells maintain epithelial layers. β-catenin acts by anchoring the actin cytoskeleton to the junctions, and may possibly aid in contact inhibition signaling within the cell. For instance, when an epithelial layer is complete and the adherens junctions indicate that the cell is surrounded, β-catenin may play a role in telling the cell to stop proliferating, as there is no room for more cells in the area. Secondly, β-catenin participates in the Wnt signaling pathway as a downstream target. While the pathway is very detailed and not completely understood, in general, when Wnt is not present, GSK-3B (a member of the pathway) is able to phosphorylate β-catenin as a result of a complex formation that includes β-catenin, AXIN1, AXIN2, APC (a tumor suppressor gene product), CSNK1A1, and GSK3B. Following phosphorylation of the N-terminal Ser and Thr residues of β-catenin, BTRC promotes its ubiquitination, which causes it to be degraded by the TrCP/SKP complex. On the other hand, when Wnt is present, GSK-3B is displaced from the previously mentioned complex, causing β-catenin to not be phosphorylated, and thus not ubiquitinated. As a result, its levels in the cell are stabilized as it builds up in the cytoplasm. Eventually, some of this accumulated β-catenin will move into the nucleus with the help of Rac1. At this point, β-catenin becomes a coactivator for TCF and LEF to activate Wnt genes by displacing Groucho and HDAC transcription repressors. These gene products are important in determining cell fates during normal development and in maintaining homeostasis, or they can lead to de-regulated growth in disorders like cancer by responding to mutations in β-catenin, APC or Axin, each of which can lead to this de-regulated β-catenin level stabilization in cells.

While less attention is directed at α-catenin in studies involving cell adhesion, it is nonetheless an important player in cellular organization, function and growth. α-catenin participates in the formation and stabilization of adherens junctions by binding to β-catenin-cadherin complexes in the cell. The exact mechanisms by which α-catenin acts in adherens junctions is still unclear; however, it is likely that α-catenin acts in concert with vinculin to bind to actin and help stabilize the junctions.

F9 embryonal carcinoma cells are similar to the P19 cells shown in Figure 1 and normally have cell-to-cell adhesion mediated by E-cadherin with β-catenin bound to the cytoplasmic domain of E-cadherin. F9 cells were genetically engineered to lack β-catenin, resulting in increased association of plakoglobin with E-cadherin. In F9 cells lacking both β-catenin and plakoglobin, very little E-cadherin and α-catenin accumulated at the cell surface. Mice lacking β-catenin have defective embryos. Mice engineered to specifically have vascular endothelium cells deficient in β-catenin showed disrupted adhesion between vascular endothelial cells. Mice lacking plakoglobin have cell adhesion defects in many tissues, although β-catenin substitutes for plakoglobin at many cellular junctions. Keratinocytes engineered to not express alpha-catenin have disrupted cell adhesion and activated NF-κB. A tumor cell line with defective δ-catenin, low levels of E-cadherin and poor cell-to-cell adhesion could be restored to normal epithelial morphology and increased E-cadherin levels by expression of normal levels of functional δ-catenin.

As previously mentioned, the same properties of catenin that give it an important role in normal cell fate determination, homeostasis and growth, also make it susceptible to alterations that can lead to abnormal cell behavior and growth. Any changes in cytoskeletal organization and adhesion can lead to altered signaling, migration and a loss of contact inhibition that can promote cancer development and tumor formation. In particular, catenins have been identified to be major players in aberrant epithelial cell layer growth associated with various types of cancer. Mutations in genes encoding these proteins can lead to inactivation of cadherin cell adhesions and elimination of contact inhibition, allowing cells to proliferate and migrate, thus promoting tumorigenesis and cancer development. Catenins are known to be associated with colorectal and ovarian cancer, and they have been identified in pilomatrixoma, medulloblastoma, pleomorphic adenomas, and malignant mesothelioma.