STAT in Biological News

Dual role in breast tissue for a protein involved in leukemia

...dy's lead author, Anne Miermont, MS, a doctoral graduate student in tumor biology at Georgetown University Medical Center. Stat5a is a member of the stat family of proteins, which are key to regulating cell growth and differentiation. Because they have been found to be over-expressed in leukemia, Miermo...

Small molecules block cancer gene

... HOUSTON (March 10, 2009) Finding molecules that block the activity of the oncogene stat 3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription) required screening literally millions of compounds, using computers that compared the structure o...

Researchers identify new function of protein in cellular respiration

...lays a key role in cellular energy production. The team examined oxygen consumption in cultured cells and hearts of mice. They discovered that when stat 3 protein was missing, cells consumed less oxygen and produced less ATP, the key molecular form of cellular energy. The findings revealed that Stat3 i...

Flies can turn off their immune response

...rt a mechanism of control that relies on the transcription factors AP-1 and stat to prevent the excessive activation of the NF-Bmediated immune response. Th...ticipate in its attenuation. In their role as negative regulators, AP-1 and stat form a complex HMG protein and HDAC, proteins known to be involved in DNA b...

Engineered molecule amplifies body's immune response

... Interferon binds to receptors on the surface of the cell, which then use stat molecules to send signals to the nucleus to increase the expression of genes needed to defend the host against infection. A balance in the amount of stat signaling caused by interferon is very important. "When interferon leve...

Protein prevents detrimental immune effects of bacterial sepsis

...scored by the fact that bacterial sepsis ranked among the top ten causes of death in both adults and neonates in 2002 in the United States (Natl Vital stat Rep 2005, 53:1-89). The patients at greatest risk of developing sepsis and SIRS are those with impaired immune systems. When such patients are unable ...