A neural plakophilin-related armadillo repeat protein (NPRAP)/␦-catenin interacts with one of Alzheimer disease-related gene products, presenilin 1. We have previously reported the interaction of NPRAP/␦-catenin with synaptic scaffolding molecule, which is involved in the assembly of synaptic components. NPRAP/␦-catenin also interacts with E-cadherin and -catenin and is implicated in the organization of cell-cell junctions. p0071, a ubiquitous isoform of NPRAP/␦-catenin, is localized at desmosomes in HeLa and A431 cells and at adherens junctions in Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells. We have identified here a novel protein interacting with NPRAP/ ␦-catenin and p0071 and named this protein plakophilinrelated armadillo repeat protein-interacting PSD-95/ Dlg-A/ZO-1 (PDZ) protein (PAPIN). PAPIN has six PDZ domains and binds to NPRAP/␦-catenin and p0071 via the second PDZ domain. PAPIN and p0071 are ubiquitously expressed in various tissues and are localized at cell-cell junctions in normal rat kidney cells and bronchial epithelial cells. PAPIN may be a scaffolding protein connecting components of epithelial junctions with p0071.The armadillo repeat is a repeated motif of about 40 amino acids originally identified in the Drosophila segment polarity gene, armadillo (reviewed in Ref. 1). The list of proteins containing this repeat includes -catenin, plakoglobin, adenomatous polyposis coli gene product, a regulatory protein for small G protein named smg GDP dissociation stimulator, and smg GDP-dissociation stimulator-associated protein (reviewed in Refs. 1 and 2). Among them, p120 ctn and its related proteins form a family. The p120 ctn family is composed of p120 ctn , B6P/ plakophilin 1, plakophilin 2, armadillo repeat gene deleted in velo-cardiofacial syndrome, p0071, and neural plakophilin-related armadillo repeat protein (NPRAP) 1 /␦-catenin (3-10). p120 ctn has been identified as a major substrate of tyrosine kinase phosphorylation enriched at adherens junctions and contains 10 armadillo repeats (3, 11-13). p120 ctn directly interacts with E-cadherin. B6P/plakophilin 1 is a protein localized at desmosomes and interacts with keratin (4, 5). Plakophilin 2 is also localized at desmosomes (6). armadillo repeat gene deleted in velo-cardiofacial syndrome has been isolated as a gene involved in a human disorder that affects the development of tissues related to pharyngeal arches and pouches and encodes a protein containing 10 armadillo repeats (10). p0071 also has 10 armadillo repeats and is colocalized with desmoplakin in HeLa and A431 cells, but localized at adherens junctions in Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells (8). NPRAP/␦-catenin was discovered independently by two groups as a protein homologous to B6P/plakophilin 1 and as a protein interacting with presenilin 1, respectively (9, 10). NPRAP/␦-catenin has a structure similar to that of p0071 and is considered to be a neural isoform of p0071. When transfected in Madin-Darby canine kidney cells, NPRAP/␦-catenin is localized at adherens junctions and interacts with E-cadhe...