Serine phosphorylation has generally been considered indispensable for full transcriptional activity of STAT proteins. Recent data indicate that CDK8-mediated phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) on S727 inhibits natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity and restrains tumor surveillance. These findings implicate CDK8 as a promising target for immunotherapy.
Keywords: CDK, cyclin-dependent kinase; CDK8; CTLA-4, cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4; FDA, food and drug administration; KLRG1, killer cell lectin-like receptor subfamily G member 1; MHC, major histocompatibility complex; NK cells; NK, natural killer; PD-1, programmed cell death 1; STAT1; STAT1, signal transducer and activator of transcription 1; immunotherapy; tumor immune surveillance.