STAT5: From Pathogenesis Mechanism to Therapeutic Approach in Acute Leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Based on the results of multiple studies, multiple signaling pathways is a major cause of resistence to chemotherapy in leukemia cells. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) is among these factors; it plays an essential role in proliferation of leukemic cells.
METHODS: We obtained the materials used in our study via PubMed search from 1996 through 2019. The key search terms included "STAT5," "acute leukemia," "leukemogenesis," and "mutation."
RESULTS: On activation, STAT5 not only inhibits apoptosis of leukemic cells via activating the B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) gene but also inhibits resistance to chemotherapy by enhancing human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression and maintaining telomere length in cells. It has also been shown that a number of mutations in the STAT5 gene and in related genes alter the expression of STAT5.
CONCLUSION: The identification of STAT5 and the factors activated in its up- or downstream expression, affecting its function, contribute to better treatments such as targeted therapy rather than chemotherapy, improving the quality of life patients. © American Society for Clinical Pathology 2019. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.