CDK8 as the STAT1 serine 727 kinase?
Whereas cytokine-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT (signal transducer and activator of transcription) proteins by JAK kinases has been well studied, much less is known about STAT-specific serine kinases and their signal-dependent regulation. The paper by Joanna Bancerek and colleagues published recently in Immunity reports that upon interferon-γ (IFNγ) stimulation of cells the chromatin-associated cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) phosphorylates the regulatory serine residue 727 in the transactivation domain of STAT1. The authors state that the CDK8 module of the Mediator complex is a key component in the STAT1 signal pathway, linking serine phosphorylation to gene-specific transcriptional events.
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy; University of Göttingen; Göttingen, Germany.
Julia
J
Staab
Christoph
C
Herrmann-Lingen
Thomas
T
Meyer
gene expression; interferon signaling; kinase activity; serine phosphorylation; transcriptional regulation