Nils Ott

Abstract Alternative splicing of STAT3 produces two principal isoforms, STAT3α and STAT3β, that differ in transactivation capacity and DNA-binding behavior. Whereas STAT3α is thought to be a transcriptional activator, STAT3β – due to the lack of the transactivation domain – is thought to be a transcriptional repressor. Therefore, the relative abundance of STAT3α and STAT3β molecules within a leukocyte will be critical for immune homeostasis and for gene-therapeutic strategies targeting STAT3.