The Specific Roles of JAK/STAT Signaling Pathway in Sepsis

The Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway is a principal signaling pathway for the signal transduction of many pivotal cytokines involved in sepsis. Binding of cytokines to corresponding receptors can activate associated JAK kinases, which selectively phosphorylate STATs. Activated STATs then translocate to the nucleus and play a critical role in the transcription of target genes. During the past several years, significant progress has been made in the understanding of the roles of JAK/STAT pathway in sepsis. The aims of this review are to describe the present knowledge about JAK/STAT signaling pathway, describe the specific roles of JAK/STAT pathway in sepsis, and put forward the prospect for future studies of JAK/STAT signaling pathway in sepsis. A PubMed database search was performed for studies of JAKs and STATs in sepsis. It has been shown that a variety of cytokines can exert their biological effects via the JAK/STAT signaling pathway. JAK/STAT pathway has been shown related to the release of various cytokines and inflammatory mediators and involved in the regulation of immune response in sepsis. Moreover, JAK/STAT pathway has been shown involved in organ damage and other dysfunctions in sepsis models.