A novel role for STAT3 in cardiac remodeling

The binding of ligands to gp130 activates the JAK/STAT signal transduction pathway, where STAT3 plays a central role in transmitting signals from the membrane to the nucleus. STAT3 is essential for gp130-mediated cardiac myocyte hypertrophy. Cardiac-specific disruption of gp130 was shown to present heart failure in response to mechanical stress accompanied by an increase in apoptosis. Thus, the inactivation of STAT3 resulting from the loss of gp130 may be a key event in the transition from cardiac hypertrophy to heart failure. Proper vascular growth is essential for normal cardiac development and remodeling process. Recently, bcl-xL and VEGF have identified as target genes of STAT and together can promote cardiac myocyte survival by prevention of apoptosis and restoration of energy deprivation. In this review, STAT3 is highlighted as a regulator of angiogenic factors, and activation of STAT-mediated signaling in the cardiac myocyte is proposed as a novel therapeutic strategy for the prevention of heart failure.