Previously study has been shown that, α-catenin could complex with the IκBα protein, and stabilize IκBα by inhibiting its and its association with the proteasome.

Usually, Aberrant activation of NF-κB signaling is found in triple-negative basal-like breast cancer cells, while the cause of this activation has remained elusive，The NF-κB pathway can be activated by a variety of factors. Activated NF-κB regulates kinds of target genes. Aberrant activation of NF-κB signaling is associated with various human cancers including breast cancer.

Researchers from Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center discovered that, loss of α-catenin as a mechanism by which the NF-kB pathway is activated in the basal-like subtype of breast cancer. This is highly relevant in human tumors, as alpha-catenin is specifically downregulated in human basal-like breast cancer, correlates with recurrence-free survival and negatively correlates with the activity of NF-κB signalling. Thus, Targeting the NF-κB pathway may provide therapeutic benefits to patients with basal-like, triple-negative breast cancer

 Reference: alpha-catenin acts as a tumour suppressor in E-cadherin-negative basal-like breast cancer by inhibiting NF-κB signalling. Nature cell biology, 2014