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Coiled-coil domain of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 2 (STAT2) This family consists of the coiled-coil (alpha) domain of the STAT2 proteins (Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 2, or Signal Transduction And Transcription 2). STAT2 activation is driven predominantly by only two classes of cell surface receptors: Type I and III interferon receptors, making it a unique STAT family of transcription factors. It differs from other STAT family members in that it associates constitutively with a non-STAT protein, the interferon regulatory factor 9 (IRF9). The coiled-coil domain of STAT2 is necessary for binding the carboxyl terminus of IRF9, an association required for the constitutive nuclear import of unphosphorylated STAT2. STAT2 plays a critical role in host defenses against viral infections since type I interferon (IFN-I) response inhibits viral replication, and sets the stage for the development of adaptive immunity; viruses target STAT2 by either inhibiting its expression, blocking its activity, or by targeting it for degradation, thus triggering remarkable divergence in the STAT2 gene across species compared to other STAT family members. STAT2 function is regulated by tyrosine phosphorylation which enables STAT dimerization, and subsequent nuclear translocation and transcriptional activation of IFN stimulated genes. Dengue virus (DENV)-mediated degradation of STAT2 has emerged as an important determinant of DENV pathogenesis and host tropism. This vector-borne flavivirus suppresses IFN1 signaling to replicate and cause disease in vertebrates via proteasome-dependent STAT2 degradation mediated by the nonstructural protein NS5 and its interaction partner UBR4, an E3 ubiquitin ligase. The mechanism of Zika virus (ZIKV) NS5 resembles DENV NS5 but through different mechanism - ZIKV does not require the UBR4 to induce STAT2 degradation. It has also been shown that the STAT2 and STAT4 genes are direct targets for transcription factor Oct-1 protein which is involved in the regulation of expression of genes of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway in the Namalwa Burkitt's lymphoma cell line.
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