信号转导与转录激活因子的生物学功能及相关疾病

Biological functions and related diseases of STATs

信号转导与转录激活因子(signal transducer and activator of transcription,STATs)是一类可以将胞外信号传导到细胞核中的转导因子,在体内具有重要的生物学功能。研究表明,STATs家族成员STAT3信号通路异常激活后会导致各种各样的疾病,如恶性肿瘤(白血病、淋巴癌、乳腺癌、肺癌)、炎症/免疫和关节炎等。大量研究发现,STAT3的激活,即705位酪氨酸的磷酸化,会抑制细胞的凋亡、诱导细胞增殖分化、血管形成等细胞过程,最终导致上述恶性疾病的发生。本文主要介绍了STAT家族各亚型的生物学功能及与STAT3相关的疾病,对目前针对该靶点的抑制剂做一简单介绍以及对该靶点的研究进行了展望。

The signal transducer and activator of transcription （STAT） proteins, which can transmit signals from extracellular to nucleus, play important roles in biological processes. The abnormal activation of STAT3 signaling pathway usually results in many malignant diseases such as tumors（ leukemias, lymphomas, breast cancer and lung cancer）, inflammation or immune and rheumatoid arthritis. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the activa- tion of STAT3, which means the phosphorylation of the residue 705, can inhibit apoptosis, induce cell proliferation and angiogenesis and finally lead to malignant diseases mentioned above. In this review, the biological functions of STAT family proteins and the related diseases of STAT3 are introduced, and the inhibitors of STAT3 are summa- rized simply. Further development of STATs is also proposed.