Allergic inflammation requires the orchestration of altered gene expression in the target tissue and in the infiltrating immune cells. The transcription factor STAT6 is critical in activating cytokine gene expression and cytokine signaling both in the immune cells and in target tissue cells including airway epithelia, keratinocytes and esophageal epithelial cells. STAT6 is activated by the cytokines IL-4 and IL-13 to mediate the pathogenesis of allergic disorders such as asthma, atopic dermatitis, food allergy and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). In this review, we summarize the role of STAT6 in allergic diseases, its interaction with the co-factor PARP14 and the molecular mechanisms by which STAT6 and PARP14 regulate gene transcription.
Asthma ; Cytokines ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Eosinophilic Esophagitis ; Epithelial Cells ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Inflammation* ; Interleukin-13 ; Interleukin-4 ; Keratinocytes ; Transcription Factors