Advancements in decoy oligodeoxynucleotides targeting STAT3 and STAT5 for cancer therapy

Abstract

The Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT) proteins are a group of cytoplasmic transcription factors. This group comprises seven members, named STAT1, STAT2, STAT3, STAT4, STAT5a, STAT5b, and STAT6. These proteins are promising targets for anti-cancer treatment since cancer cells employ STAT activity to drive many of their processes more than normal cells do. Indeed, molecules targeting STATs, particularly STAT3 and STAT5, show great potential in cancer treatment, which explains the focus on developing STAT3 and 5 inhibitors. The less desirable pharmacological characteristics of peptidomimetics have shifted much of the attention to small molecules. However, current prospective molecules are not attractive enough for clinical studies, and further effort is rather necessary. Interestingly, oligonucleotide-based molecular methods, particularly decoy oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs), show great potential in cancer treatment. Recent developments show that decoy ODNs and decoy peptides are two distinct forms of decoy techniques. Decoy ODNs can specifically bind to and inactivate certain transcription factors involved in disease development. In this review, we provide a concise appraisal of research dissecting the impact of decoy ODNs targeting STATs in cancer treatment.