Stat proteins and oncogenesis

JAK-STAT signaling in human diseaseThe discovery of Stat proteins' key role in IFN signaling, initially described over ten years ago, provided the first molecular link of growth factor receptor stimulation to the direct activation of a transcription factor (1). Since that time a large number of growth factor receptors and some nonreceptor tyrosine kinases have been found to lead to the activation of these transcription factors (2).The contributions of individual Stat proteins to normal cytokine signaling and development have been studied in various cell culture systems and in vivo in mice made deficient for one or more of these proteins (3).This approach has identified some related roles, as well as many…