Christian W. Schindler

Role of the JAK-STAT pathway in cytokine signal transduction

Characterization of the potent antiviral activity associated with Interferons (IFNs), which were discovered over 50 years ago, has punctuated several notable milestones in molecular immunology, including elucidation of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. In this signaling paradigm, JAKs are receptor associated tyrosine kinases and STATs (Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription) the transcription factors they activate. Subsequent studies have identified 7 STATs and 4 JAKs, providing important insight into how the ~50 members of the four-helix bundle cytokine family transduce their potent biological responses. This includes the regulation of several developmental pathways, as well as the innate and adaptive limbs of the immune system. Interests in the laboratory include understanding the critical role IFNs play in regulating innate immunity, Stat3's intriguing development activity, as well as the critical role macrophages and the innate immune system play in the development of chronic inflammatory disease, like atherosclerosis. More recent efforts have begun to explore the role mononuclear phagocytes (i.e., macrophages) play in tissue homeostasis.