ABSTRACT
I. Introduction.................................................................................................... 53 II. The Jak/STAT Pathway...................................................................................53 III. Cytokine Activation of NF
κ
B ........................................................................57 IV. Additional Signaling Cascades in
Cytokine Responses ........................................................................................60 V. Conclusions.....................................................................................................61 References................................................................................................................61
Cytokines represent a group of transiently expressed, low molecular weight molecules that fulfill a vital role in intercellular communication, particularly in the immune system. Cytokines regulate numerous physiological and pathological events such as lymphocyte development and activation, programmed cell death, and inflammatory processes. Research over the past decade has lead to the discovery of many new cytokines and their respective cell surface receptors and has elucidated the signaling pathways that lead to cytokine receptor mediated gene induction. Equal to their complex biological effects, cytokine-induced transcriptional activation is the product of an intricate network of multiple signaling cascades. This chapter presents an overview of cytokine-induced signaling pathway with emphasis on signal transduction through STAT proteins and NF
