Jak-Stat Signaling : From Basics to Disease

Thomas Decker obtained a masters degree in Biology and, in 1986, his PhD at the Albert-Ludwig University of Freiburg, Both his PhD project and his subsequent postdoctoral research at the Rockefeller University, New York, USA, concerned the immunological activity and molecular biology of interferons. This line of research led to intensive investigation of Jak-Stat signal transduction which continued duing subsequent group leader positions and professorships at the Fraunhofer Society, Hannover, Germany, the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden and, finally, the University of Vienna where he currently holds the position of a full professor of immunobiology. Work in Decker’s laboratory revolves around interferons, the Jak-Stat signalling pathway and mechanisms of gene activation in bacterial infections. Mathias Müller studied veterinary medicine at the Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich (Germany) and completed his PhD thesis at the Gene Center Munich. During a postdoctoral fellowship at the ICRF (Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London UK; now CRUK, Cancer Research UK) he entered the field of interferon signal transduction and participated in the pioneering studies that led to the identification of the biological roles of Jaks and Stats by genetic complementation of cytokine signalling defective mutant cell lines. In 1998 he was appointed Full Professor of Veterinary Biotechnology and Molecular Genetics at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. His laboratory focuses on the use of transgenic models for studying JAK–STAT signalling networks.

From the reviews: "This well-illustrated book provides a comprehensive look at the latest basic and clinical developments on the involvement of Jak-Stat pathway in the regulation of cell development, differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis, the malfunctioning of which results in hematopoietic malignancies and cancer. ... The book is well-illustrated with a number of beautiful color figures. ... Molecular biologists, biochemists, cell biologists, and clinical oncologists will find this book useful." (Omer Iqbal, Doody's Review Service, November, 2012)

• The continuing fascination with Jaks and Stats: An introduction .- Regulation of JAKs: Insights gleaned from the functional protein domains .- Nuclear functions of the Janus Kinases .- Self-association of STAT proteins from monomers to paracrystals .- How Stats interact with the molecular machinery of transcriptional activation .- Nongenomic Functions of STAT3 .-Evolution of Jak and Stat proteins .- JAK/STAT and chromatin regulation in Drosophila . JAK/STAT signaling and invertebrate immune responses .- Stat5 as a hematopoietic master regulator for differentiation and neoplasia development .- Regulation of dendritic cell development by STATs .- STAT transcription factors – Controlling all aspects of NK cell biology .- Function of JAKs and STATs in lymphocytes: Bench to bedside .- The role of Janus kinases in hematopoietic malignancies .- Activation of Janus kinases during tumorigenesis . STAT1 and STAT3 transcription factors in inflammation-associated colon cancer .- Universal and specific functions of STAT3 in solid tumours .- Impact of STAT5 on normal tissue development and cancer .- Crosstalk with the Jak-STAT pathway in inflammation .- Activation and inhibition of JAK-STAT signal transduction by RNA viruses .- Multifaceted antiviral actions of interferon-stimulated gene products .- Interferon regulation of the innate response to bacteriaEvolution of Jak and Stat proteins .- JAK/STAT and chromatin regulation in Drosophila . JAK/STAT signaling and invertebrate immune responses .- Stat5 as a hematopoietic master regulator for differentiation and neoplasia development .- Regulation of dendritic cell development by STATs .- STAT transcription factors – Controlling all aspects of NK cell biology .- Function of JAKs and STATs in lymphocytes: Bench to bedside .- The role of Janus kinases in hematopoietic malignancies .- Activation of Janus kinases during tumorigenesis . STAT1 and STAT3 transcription factors in inflammation-associated coloncancer .- Universal and specific functions of STAT3 in solid tumours .- Impact of STAT5 on normal tissue development and cancer .- Crosstalk with the Jak-STAT pathway in inflammation .- Activation and inhibition of JAK-STAT signal transduction by RNA viruses .- Multifaceted antiviral actions of interferon-stimulated gene products .- Interferon regulation of the innate response to bacteria.