Janus Kinase-Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription in target therapy of cancer

Abstract

Background: Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) is a family of intracellular, nonreceptor tyrosine kinases that transduce cytokine-mediated signals. In the beginning of 20th century, it was named “just another kinase” but by some reasons ultimately it was published as “Janus kinase”. The name Janus was taken from the two-faced Roman god of beginnings, endings and duality, because the Janus kinases (JAKs) possess two near-identical phosphate-transferring domains, one domain exhibits the kinase activity, while the other negatively regulates the kinase activity of the first one. The article describes JAK-STAT in many aspects such as general definition, mechanism of action, biochemical qualities and the relation to cancer. Eventually the article will explain the role of JAK-STAT pathway in carcinogenesis and summarize the article through future direction in clinical medicine and research. Conclusions: Understanding JAK-STAT pathway can help physicians, medical students and teachers apply this into clinical practice. By discovering more about the JAK-STAT pathway, many cancer diseases could be halted or treated due to their connection to cancer therapy.