title: Signaling via the CytoR/JAK/STAT/SOCS pathway: Emergence during evolution.
abstract: Cell-cell signaling represents an essential hallmark of multicellular organisms, which necessarily require a means of communicating between different cell populations, particularly immune cells. Cytokine receptor signaling through the Janus kinase/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription/Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling (CytoR/JAK/STAT/SOCS) pathway embodies one important paradigm by which this is achieved. This pathway has been extensively studied in vertebrates and protostomes and shown to play fundamental roles in development and function of immune and other cells. However, our understanding of the origins of the individual pathway components and their assembly into a functional pathway has remained limited. This study examined the origins of each component of this pathway through bioinformatics analysis of key extant species. This has revealed step-wise accretion of individual components over a large evolutionary time-frame, but only in bilateria did a series of innovations allow their final coalescence to form a complete pathway. Assembly of the CytoR/JAK/STAT pathway has followed the retrograde model of pathway evolution, whereas addition of the SOCS component has adhered to the patchwork model.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia; Centre for Molecular and Medical Research, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia.
authors.forename: Clifford
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liongue
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia.
authors.forename: Tarannum
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taznin
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia; Centre for Molecular and Medical Research, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3216, Australia. Electronic address: award@deakin.edu.au.
authors.forename: Alister C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Ward
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000235:genetics*; D019295:Computational Biology; D006801:Humans; D053612:Janus Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D018121:Receptors, Cytokine / Q000235:genetics*; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics*; D050826:Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling Proteins
chemical_list: D018121:Receptors, Cytokine; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors; D050826:Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling Proteins; D053612:Janus Kinases
keywords: Cytokine receptor; Evolution; JAK; SOCS; STAT