Inflammation is a double-edged sword--essential for protecting the body and promoting healing, yet potentially harmful when left unchecked. A deeper understanding of how inflammatory responses are fine-tuned at the cellular level is critical for developing more precise and effective therapies.

For over than 30 years, STAT1 has been best known for its activation through tyrosine phosphorylation (Tyr701) in response to interferons, primarily mediating antiviral defense. The research group of Hozaifa Metwally and Tadamitsu Kishimoto (Immune Regulation, WPI-IFReC) identified a novel phosphorylation site--threonine 748 (Thr748)--on the immune signaling protein STAT1. These findings demonstrate that Thr748 phosphorylation acts independently of the canonical Tyr701 site to enhance epithelial resilience during inflammatory stress, such as colitis-induced tissue injury.
(online publishing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS) on July 22, 2025)

Contact

Kang-Kishimoto Lab

kishimotoifrec.osaka-u.ac.jp

Immune Regulation