| Primary Identifier | IPR029839 | Type | Family |
| Short Name | STAT4 |
| description | Signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) transduces interleukin-12, interleukin-23, and type I interferon cytokine signals in T cells and monocytes [, ]. It plays an important role in CD4+ Th1 lineage differentiation and IFN-gamma protein expression by CD4+ T cells []. It is crucial for both innate and adaptive immune responses to viral infection []. Variations of the STAT4 gene affect the susceptibility to autoimmune diseases [], such as systemic lupus erythematosus 11 (SLEB11) []and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) []. STAT proteins have a dual function: signal transduction and activation of transcription. When cytokines are bound to cell surface receptors, the associated Janus kinases (JAKs) are activated, leading to tyrosine phosphorylation of the given STAT proteins []. Phosphorylated STATs form dimers, translocate to the nucleus, and bind specific response elements to activate transcription of target genes []. STAT proteins contain an N-terminal domain (NTD), a coiled-coil domain (CCD), a DNA-binding domain (DBD), an α-helical linker domain (LD), an SH2 domain, and a transactivation domain (TAD). The SH2 domain is necessary for receptor association and tyrosine phosphodimer formation. There are seven mammalian STAT family members which have been identified: STAT1, STAT2, STAT3, STAT4, STAT5 (STAT5A and STAT5B), and STAT6 []. |
