Signal transducers and activators of transcription-3 binding to the fibroblast growth factor receptor is activated by receptor amplification.

Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR) are cell surface tyrosine kinases that function in cell proliferation and differentiation. Aberrant FGFR signaling occurs in diverse cancers due to gene amplification, but the associated oncogenic mechanisms are poorly understood. Using a proteomics approach, we identified signal transducers and activators of transcription-3 (STAT3) as a receptor-binding partner that is mediated by Tyr(677) phosphorylation on FGFR.