title: Mitochondrial Stat3, the Need for Design Thinking.
abstract: Stat3 has been studied extensively as a transcription factor, however the finding that Stat3 also localizes to mitochondria has opened a new area to discover non-classical functions. Here we review the current knowledge of mitochondrial Stat3 as a regulator of the electron transport chain (ETC) and its impact on mitochondrial production of ATP and ROS. We also describe recent findings identifying Stat3 as a regulator of mitochondrial Ca(2+) homeostasis through its effect on the ETC. It is becoming evident that these non-classical functions of Stat3 can have a major impact on cancer progression, cardiovascular diseases, and inflammatory diseases. Therefore, mitochondrial Stat3 functions challenge the current design of therapies that solely target Stat3 as a transcription factor and suggest the need for "design thinking," which leads to the development of novel strategies, to intervene the Stat3 pathway.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rincon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; D002118:Calcium
keywords: Stat3