Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Mouse Naïve CD4+ T Cell Isolation and In vitro Differentiation into T Cell Subsets
Published on: April 16, 2015
STAT4: genetics, mechanisms, and implications for autoimmunity
Benjamin D Korman1, Daniel L Kastner, Peter K Gregersen
1National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal, and Skin Diseases, 9 Memorial Drive, NIH Building 9, Room 1W108, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Abstract:
Recent advances in genetics and technology have led to breakthroughs in understanding the genes that predispose individuals to autoimmune diseases. A common haplotype of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) gene has been shown to be associated with susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and primary Sjögren's syndrome. STAT4 is a transcription factor that transduces interleukin-12, interleukin-23, and type 1 interferon cytokine signals in T cells and monocytes, leading to T-helper type 1 and T-helper type 17 differentiation, monocyte activation, and interferon-gamma production. Although the evidence for this association is very strong and well replicated, the exact mechanism by which polymorphisms in this gene lead to disease remains unknown. In concert with the identification of other disease-associated loci, elucidating how the variant form of STAT4 modulates immune function should lead to an improved understanding of the pathophysiology of autoimmunity.
Related Concept Videos
Autoimmune Disorders
Concept and Mechanism of Autoimmune Diseases
The immune system...
The JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway
Genome-wide Association Studies-GWAS
GWAS does not require the identification of the target gene involved in...
Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Crohn's Disease
T Cell Types and Functions
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
Type I Diabetes I: Introduction