Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 20, 2026

Characterize Disease-related Mutants of RAF Family Kinases by Using a Set of Practical and Feasible Methods
07:49

Characterize Disease-related Mutants of RAF Family Kinases by Using a Set of Practical and Feasible Methods

Published on: July 17, 2019

Jak family of kinases in cancer

Amit Verma1, Suman Kambhampati, Simrit Parmar

  • 1Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and Section of Hematology-Oncology, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL, USA.

Cancer Metastasis Reviews
|July 30, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Janus kinases (Jak) are crucial for cytokine signaling and have roles in antitumor responses. Dysregulation of Jak-STAT pathways contributes to cancer development, highlighting their therapeutic potential.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Signaling
  • Oncology

Background:

  • The Janus kinase (Jak) family comprises four tyrosine kinases (Tyk2, Jak1, Jak2, Jak3) with structural homology.
  • Jaks associate with cytokine and hormone receptors, mediating signal transduction upon ligand binding.
  • Jak kinases are integral to interferon signaling pathways, which possess antitumor activities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of Jak-kinase dependent pathways in malignancies.
  • To discuss the therapeutic implications of recent advancements in targeting Jaks for cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on Jak kinases, cytokine signaling, and cancer.
  • Analysis of evidence linking Jak-STAT pathway dysregulation to neoplastic transformation and proliferation.

Main Results:

  • Jak kinases are activated by cytokines and hormones, regulating downstream signaling.
  • Constitutive activation of Jaks and STATs is implicated in various malignancies.
  • Jak-mediated pathways are critical for cellular responses to interferons.

Conclusions:

  • Jak kinases are key players in both normal cellular responses and the pathogenesis of cancer.
  • Targeting Jak-kinase pathways presents a promising therapeutic strategy for malignancies.

Related Concept Videos

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways01:19

Interactions Between Signaling Pathways

Signaling cascades usually lack linearity. Multiple pathways interact and regulate one another, allowing cells to integrate and respond to diverse environmental stimuli.
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
MAPK Signaling Cascades01:07

MAPK Signaling Cascades

Mitogen-activated protein kinase, or MAPK pathway, activates three sequential kinases to regulate cellular responses such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. The canonical MAPK pathway starts with a mitogen or growth factor binding to an RTK. The activated RTKs stimulate Ras, which recruits Raf or MAP3 Kinase (MAPKKK), the first kinase of the MAPK signaling cascade. Raf further phosphorylates and activates MEK or MAP2 Kinases (MAPKK), which in turn phosphorylates MAP...
M-Cdk Drives Transition Into Mitosis02:15

M-Cdk Drives Transition Into Mitosis

Checkpoints throughout the cell cycle serve as safeguards and gatekeepers, allowing the cell cycle to progress in favorable conditions and slow or halt it in problematic ones. This regulation is known as the cell cycle control system.
Cyclin-dependent kinases, or Cdks, work in concert with cyclins to control cell cycle transitions. M-Cdk, a complex of Cdk1 bound to M cyclin, is a well-known example of this coordinated control that drives the transition from the G2 to the M phase.
M cyclin...
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway01:22

PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway

The mammalian target of rapamycin  (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates growth, proliferation, and cell survival in response to hormones, growth factors, or nutrient availability. This kinase exists in two structurally and functionally distinct forms: mTOR complex 1  (mTORC1) and mTOR complex 2  (mTORC2). The first form (mTORC1) is composed of a rapamycin-sensitive Raptor and proline-rich Akt substrate, PRAS40. In contrast,  mTORC2 consists of a rapamycin-insensitive companion...