Figure 2.

The JAK/STAT pathway. Schematic of the signaling cascade induced by cytokines that signal via the JAK/STAT pathway. Cytokine binds to a specific receptor and allows transactivation of the associated Janus Kinases (JAKs). Activated JAKs then phosphorylate tyrosines on the intracellular domains of the receptor which recruit the Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription (STAT) transcription factors. STATs are translocated into the nucleus and upregulate the transcription of cytokine‐responsive genes. SOCS proteins are direct targets of STAT and act as negative‐feedback inhibitors to switch off the signaling cascade.