title: STAT3 acts as a co-activator of glucocorticoid receptor signaling.
abstract: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and glucocorticoids are important mediators of inflammatory and immunological responses. Glucocorticoids are known to synergistically enhance IL-6-mediated cellular responses. We now show that IL-6 also has a synergistic effect upon glucocorticoid signaling. In particular, IL-6-activated STAT3 associates with ligand-bound glucocorticoid receptor to form a transactivating/signaling complex, which can function through either an IL-6-responsive element or a glucocorticoid-responsive element. These findings reveal a new level of interaction between these two crucial signaling cascades and indicate that activated STAT3 can also act as a transcriptional co-activator without direct association with its DNA binding motif.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Pulmonary Division, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, USA.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hagood
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Fuentes
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Fuller
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019556:COS Cells; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000494:pharmacology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000494:pharmacology; D008024:Ligands; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000378:metabolism*; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism*; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D015850:Interleukin-6; D008024:Ligands; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; C494088:Stat3 protein, rat; D015534:Trans-Activators