JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway and Rheumatic Diseases

Rheumatic diseases are chronic inflammatory immune-mediated disorders that may affect the joints, muscles, and bones and can have systemic and/or organ-specific involvement. These conditions can have a major impact on patients’ quality of life, society, and economic burden. Therefore, establishing an early diagnosis and initiating adequate treatment is fundamental for effective disease management.

The Janus kinase (JAK)-Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT) signaling pathway is an evolutionarily conserved pathway that regulates many cellular processes, including innate and adaptive immune responses, cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Disturbances in the JAK-STAT signaling pathway have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several chronic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). JAK inhibitors (JAKi) are recently approved oral medications with therapeutic application in myeloproliferative disorders and inflammatory diseases. JAKi function by inhibiting the activity of one or more of the JAK family of enzymes (JAK1, JAK2, JAK3, and TYK2), thus interfering with the JAK-STAT signaling pathway.

Treatment options in rheumatic disorders include the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, synthetic and/or biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Nevertheless, despite the progress achieved in the last decades and the development of novel treatment strategies to effectively stop or attenuate the progression of rheumatic diseases, not all patients reach sustained remission and refractory disease remains a significant challenge. JAK inhibitors (JAKi) are a class of oral immunosuppressive drugs with proven efficacy in the treatment of several chronic inflammatory immune-mediated diseases.

The main goal of this Research Topic is to collect original research articles and/or reviews that focus on the impact of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway in rheumatic diseases and novel approaches to precision medicine. The scope of this Research Topic is centered on the impact of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway in rheumatic diseases at a functional, molecular, and cellular level. The aim of this Research Topic is to collect original research articles and/or reviews that also explore the mechanisms of action of JAKi and their effects on the immunopathogenesis of rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and others.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Rheumatic diseases, JAK-STAT signaling pathway, JAK inhibitors, Immunopathogenesis, Precision Medicine

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.