title: Therapeutic targeting of the Jak/STAT pathway.
abstract: Antibodies that block cytokine function provide a powerful therapeutic tool especially for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Cytokines are a group of small hydrophilic glycoproteins that bind their receptors on the cell surface and subsequently activate intracellular signalling cascades, such as the JAK/STAT pathway. A bulk of evidence has demonstrated that genetic mutations in signalling molecules can cause immunodeficiencies and malignant cell growth. As a result, several drug companies have begun to develop therapeutics that inhibit the function of JAK tyrosine kinases. Currently, two JAK inhibitors, tofacitinib and ruxolitinib, are used in the clinic for treating rheumatoid arthritis and myeloproliferative diseases, respectively. Inhibiting JAK function has been shown to efficiently prevent the uncontrolled growth of cancerous cells and to harness overly active immune cells. In the future, other small molecule compounds are likely to come into clinical use, and intense work is ongoing to develop inhibitors that specifically target the constitutively active mutant JAKs. This MiniReview will summarize the basic features of the JAK/STAT pathway, its role in human disease and the therapeutic potential of JAK/STAT inhibitors.
authors.affiliation: Immunoregulation, Institute of Biomedical Technology, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland; BioMediTech, Tampere, Finland.
authors.forename: Saara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aittomäki
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pesu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D053612:Janus Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D009570:Nitriles; D010880:Piperidines / Q000494:pharmacology; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D011720:Pyrazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000494:pharmacology; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000494:pharmacology; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D009570:Nitriles; D010880:Piperidines; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D011720:Pyrazoles; D011743:Pyrimidines; D011758:Pyrroles; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors; C540383:ruxolitinib; C479163:tofacitinib; D053612:Janus Kinases