STATs as activators of apoptosis.
STATs are a family of transcription factors that are activated in a ligand-dependent manner and promote the rapid induction of genes. They achieve this by directly transducing signals from the receptor into the nucleus. Consistent with their co-evolution with the cytokine family of ligands, studies have determined that STATs play a pivotal role in mediating the biological response for this family of ligands. However, STATs appear to have a dark side as well and contribute to programmed cell death. Intriguingly, a recent study suggests that this might occur in a manner that is distinct from the standard STAT signalling paradigm.
Schindler
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Dept of Microbiology, Columbia University, NY 10032, USA. cws4@columbia.edu
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D050794:STAT1 Transcription Factor; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000502:physiology*
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050794:STAT1 Transcription Factor; D015534:Trans-Activators