Abstract
The seven members of the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) family of proteins are transcription factors that are activated in response to, and mediate signaling downstream of, growth factors and cytokines. STATs are dysregulated in a broad range of cancer types. Although the genes that encode STATs are rarely mutated in cancer, constitutive phosphorylation and hence activation of STATs, particularly STAT3, is a common alteration in cancer. STAT3 and STAT5 are considered to play primarily pro-tumorigenic roles in tumor cells and within the tumor microenvironment (TME), while STAT1 has been described as a tumor suppressor (although recent publications have also revealed pro-tumorigenic functions of STAT1). In this chapter, we survey STATs in cancer, providing a general overview of STAT function and regulation in tumor cells and in immune cells within the TME.
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O’Keefe, R.A., Grandis, J.R. (2016). STAT Proteins in Cancer. In: Ward, A. (eds) STAT Inhibitors in Cancer. Cancer Drug Discovery and Development. Humana Press, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42949-6_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42949-6_2
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