The Rockefeller University

Curt M Horvath

James E Darnell, Jr

Melissa H Wrzeszczynska

Xiaokui Zhang

Zilong Wen

Zhong Zhong

The present invention relates to methods for identifying interacting regions of transcription factors, and methods for identifying agents which modulate the interactions, useful for affecting gene regulation, for example, cellular transformation. A site within residues 130&#x2013;154 and within residues 343&#x2013;358 in Stat3 were found to interact with the transcription factor c-Jun. On c-Jun, a site within residues 105 and 334, and more particularly, between 105 and 263, interact with Stat3. These sites of interactions permit methods for identifying agents which modulate the interaction between these transcription factors to modulate gene transcription.

Methods for identifying modulators of transcriptional activator protein interactions

The present invention relates to methods for identifying interacting regions of transcription factors, and methods for identifying agents which modulate the interactions, useful for affecting gene regulation, for example, cellular transformation. A site within residues 130-154 and within residues 343-358 in Stat3 were found to interact with the transcription factor c-Jun. On c-Jun, a site within residues 105 and 334, and more particularly, between 105 and 263, interact with Stat3. These sites of interactions permit methods for identifying agents which modulate the interaction between these transcription factors to modulate gene transcription.

Stat3 protein fragments and mutants

The present invention relates generally to intracellular receptor recognition proteins or factors, termed Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription (STAT), to methods and compositions utilizing such factors, and to the antibodies reactive toward them, in assays and for diagnosing, preventing and/or treating cellular debilitation, derangement or dysfunction. More particularly, the present invention relates to particular functional domains of molecules that exhibit both receptor recognition and message delivery via DNA binding in receptor-ligand specific manner, i.e., that directly participate both in the interaction with the ligand-bound receptor at the cell surface and in the activity of transcription in the nucleus as a DNA binding protein. The invention likewise relates to the antibodies and other entities that are specific to the functional domain of a STAT protein and that would thereby selectively modulate its activity.

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New York, NY, United States of America

Curt M Horvath