The Janus Kinase Family and Signaling Through Members of the Cytokine Receptor Superfamily

Abstract

Many cytokines initiate cellular responses through their interaction with members of the cytokine receptor superfamily which contain no catalytic domains in their cytoplasmic domains. Irrespective, ligand binding induces tyrosine phosphorylation, which requires a membrane proximal region of the cytoplasmic domain. Recent studies have shown that members of the Janus kinase (JAK) family of protein tyrosine kinases associate with the membrane proximal region, are rapidly tyrosine phosphorylated following ligand binding and their in vitro kinase activity is activated. The JAKs are 130-kDa proteins which lack SH2/SH3 domains and contain two kinase domains, an active domain and a second kinase-like domain. Individual receptors associate with, or require, one or more of the three known family members including JAK1, JAK2, and tyk2. Substrates of the JAKs include the 91-kDa and 113-kDa proteins of the interferon-stimulated transcription complex ISGF3. These proteins, when tyrosine phosphorylated, migrate to the nucleus and participate in the activation of gene transcription. Recent evidence suggests that the 91- and 113-kDa proteins are members of a large family of genes that are potential substrates of JAK family members and may regulate a variety of genes involved in cell growth, differentiation or function.