Negative regulation of STAT92E by an N-terminally truncated STAT protein derived from an alternative promoter site

Professional phagocytes are recruited for the clearance of obsolete nonprofessional phagocytes in the Drosophila ovary

Cell death is an important process in the body, as it occurs throughout every tissue during development, disease, and tissue regeneration. Phagocytes are responsible for clearing away dying cells and are typically characterized as either professional or nonprofessional phagocytes. Professional phagocytes, such as macrophages, are found in nearly every part of the body while nonprofessional phagocytes, such as epithelial cells, are found in every tissue type. However, there are organs that are considered "immune-privileged" as they have little to no immune surveillance and rely on nonprofessional phagocytes to engulf dying cells. These organs are surrounded by barriers to protect the tissue from viruses, bacteria, and perhaps even immune cells. The Drosophila ovary is considered immune-privileged, however the presence of hemocytes, the macrophages of Drosophila, around the ovary suggests they may have a potential function. Here we analyze hemocyte localization and potential functions in response to starvation-induced cell death in the ovary. Hemocytes were found to accumulate in the oviduct in the vicinity of mature eggs and follicle cell debris. Genetic ablation of hemocytes revealed that the presence of hemocytes affects oogenesis and that they phagocytose ovarian cell debris and in their absence fecundity decreases. Unpaired3, an IL-6 like cytokine, was found to be required for the recruitment of hemocytes to the oviduct to clear away obsolete follicle cells. These findings demonstrate a role for hemocytes in the ovary, providing a more thorough understanding of phagocyte communication and cell clearance in a previously thought immune-privileged organ.

Drosophila Stat92E Signaling Following Pre-exposure to Ethanol

Repeated exposure to alcohol alters neuromolecular signaling that influences acute and long-lasting behaviors underlying Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Recent animal model research has implicated changes in the conserved JAK/STAT pathway, a signaling pathway classically associated with development and the innate immune system. How ethanol exposure impacts STAT signaling within neural cells is currently unclear. Here, we investigated the role of Drosophila Stat92E in ethanol-induced locomotion, signaling activity, and downstream transcriptional responses. Findings suggest that expressing Stat92E-RNAi causes enhanced ethanol-induced hyperactivity in flies previously exposed to ethanol. Furthermore, alternative splicing of Stat92E itself was detected after repeated ethanol exposure, although no changes were found in downstream transcriptional activity. This work adds to our growing understanding of altered neuromolecular signaling following ethanol exposure and suggests that STAT signaling may be a relevant target to consider for AUD treatment.

Alcohol Causes Lasting Differential Transcription in Drosophila Mushroom Body Neurons

Repeated alcohol experiences can produce long-lasting memories for sensory cues associated with intoxication. These memories can problematically trigger relapse in individuals recovering from alcohol use disorder (AUD). The molecular mechanisms by which ethanol changes memories to become long-lasting and inflexible remain unclear. New methods to analyze gene expression within precise neuronal cell types can provide further insight toward AUD prevention and treatment. Here, we used genetic tools in Drosophila melanogaster to investigate the lasting consequences of ethanol on transcription in memory-encoding neurons. Drosophila rely on mushroom body (MB) neurons to make associative memories, including memories of ethanol-associated sensory cues. Differential expression analyses revealed that distinct transcripts, but not genes, in the MB were associated with experiencing ethanol alone compared to forming a memory of an odor cue associated with ethanol. Adult MB-specific knockdown of spliceosome-associated proteins demonstrated the necessity of RNA-processing in ethanol memory formation. These findings highlight the dynamic, context-specific regulation of transcription in cue-encoding neurons, and the lasting effect of ethanol on transcript usage during memory formation.

Alcohol Activates Scabrous-Notch to Influence Associated Memories

Drugs of abuse, like alcohol, modulate gene expression in reward circuits and consequently alter behavior. However, the in vivo cellular mechanisms through which alcohol induces lasting transcriptional changes are unclear. We show that Drosophila Notch/Su(H) signaling and the secreted fibrinogen-related protein Scabrous in mushroom body (MB) memory circuitry are important for the enduring preference of cues associated with alcohol's rewarding properties. Alcohol exposure affects Notch responsivity in the adult MB and alters Su(H) targeting at the dopamine-2-like receptor (Dop2R). Alcohol cue training also caused lasting changes to the MB nuclear transcriptome, including changes in the alternative splicing of Dop2R and newly implicated transcripts like Stat92E. Together, our data suggest that alcohol-induced activation of the highly conserved Notch pathway and accompanying transcriptional responses in memory circuitry contribute to addiction. Ultimately, this provides mechanistic insight into the etiology and pathophysiology of alcohol use disorder.

Drosophila muscles regulate the immune response against wasp infection via carbohydrate metabolism

We recently found that JAK/STAT signaling in skeletal muscles is important for the immune response of Drosophila larvae against wasp infection, but it was not clear how muscles could affect the immune response. Here we show that insulin signaling is required in muscles, but not in fat body or hemocytes, during larval development for an efficient encapsulation response and for the formation of lamellocytes. This effect requires TOR signaling. We show that muscle tissue affects the immune response by acting as a master regulator of carbohydrate metabolism in the infected animal, via JAK/STAT and insulin signaling in the muscles, and that there is indirect positive feedback between JAK/STAT and insulin signaling in the muscles. Specifically, stimulation of JAK/STAT signaling in the muscles can rescue the deficient immune response when insulin signaling is suppressed. Our results shed new light on the interaction between metabolism, immunity, and tissue communication.

JAK/STAT signaling in Drosophila muscles controls the cellular immune response against parasitoid infection

The role of JAK/STAT signaling in the cellular immune response of Drosophila is not well understood. Here, we show that parasitoid wasp infection activates JAK/STAT signaling in somatic muscles of the Drosophila larva, triggered by secretion of the cytokines Upd2 and Upd3 from circulating hemocytes. Deletion of upd2 or upd3, but not the related os (upd1) gene, reduced the cellular immune response, and suppression of the JAK/STAT pathway in muscle cells reduced the encapsulation of wasp eggs and the number of circulating lamellocyte effector cells. These results suggest that JAK/STAT signaling in muscles participates in a systemic immune defense against wasp infection.

Alternative ways of modulating JAK-STAT pathway: Looking beyond phosphorylation

Most attempts to develop inhibitors of STAT transcription factors target either activating phosphorylation of tyrosine residue or SH2 domains. However, all six domains of STATs are highly conserved between the species and play important roles in the function of this family of transcription factors. STATs are involved in numerous protein-protein interactions that are likely to regulate and fine tune transcriptional activity. Targeting these interactions can provide plentiful opportunities for the discovery of novel drug candidates and powerful chemical biology tools. Using N-terminal domains as an example we describe alternative rational approaches to the development of modulators of JAK-STAT signaling.

Viruses and antiviral immunity in Drosophila

Viral pathogens present many challenges to organisms, driving the evolution of a myriad of antiviral strategies to combat infections. A wide variety of viruses infect invertebrates, including both natural pathogens that are insect-restricted, and viruses that are transmitted to vertebrates. Studies using the powerful tools in the model organism Drosophila have expanded our understanding of antiviral defenses against diverse viruses. In this review, we will cover three major areas. First, we will describe the tools used to study viruses in Drosophila. Second, we will survey the major viruses that have been studied in Drosophila. And lastly, we will discuss the well-characterized mechanisms that are active against these diverse pathogens, focusing on non-RNAi mediated antiviral mechanisms. Antiviral RNAi is discussed in another paper in this issue.

The Drosophila melanogaster host model

The deleterious and sometimes fatal outcomes of bacterial infectious diseases are the net result of the interactions between the pathogen and the host, and the genetically tractable fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has emerged as a valuable tool for modeling the pathogen-host interactions of a wide variety of bacteria. These studies have revealed that there is a remarkable conservation of bacterial pathogenesis and host defence mechanisms between higher host organisms and Drosophila. This review presents an in-depth discussion of the Drosophila immune response, the Drosophila killing model, and the use of the model to examine bacterial-host interactions. The recent introduction of the Drosophila model into the oral microbiology field is discussed, specifically the use of the model to examine Porphyromonas gingivalis-host interactions, and finally the potential uses of this powerful model system to further elucidate oral bacterial-host interactions are addressed.

The JAK-STAT pathway controls Plasmodium vivax load in early stages of Anopheles aquasalis infection

Malaria affects 300 million people worldwide every year and 450,000 in Brazil. In coastal areas of Brazil, the main malaria vector is Anopheles aquasalis, and Plasmodium vivax is responsible for the majority of malaria cases in the Americas. Insects possess a powerful immune system to combat infections. Three pathways control the insect immune response: Toll, IMD, and JAK-STAT. Here we analyze the immune role of the A. aquasalis JAK-STAT pathway after P. vivax infection. Three genes, the transcription factor Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription (STAT), the regulatory Protein Inhibitors of Activated STAT (PIAS) and the Nitric Oxide Synthase enzyme (NOS) were characterized. Expression of STAT and PIAS was higher in males than females and in eggs and first instar larvae when compared to larvae and pupae. RNA levels for STAT and PIAS increased 24 and 36 hours (h) after P. vivax challenge. NOS transcription increased 36 h post infection (hpi) while this protein was already detected in some midgut epithelial cells 24 hpi. Imunocytochemistry experiments using specific antibodies showed that in non-infected insects STAT and PIAS were found mostly in the fat body, while in infected mosquitoes the proteins were found in other body tissues. The knockdown of STAT by RNAi increased the number of oocysts in the midgut of A. aquasalis. This is the first clear evidence for the involvement of a specific immune pathway in the interaction of the Brazilian malaria vector A. aquasalis with P. vivax, delineating a potential target for the future development of disease controlling strategies.

Cytokine signaling through the JAK/STAT pathway is required for long-term memory in Drosophila

Cytokine signaling through the JAK/STAT pathway regulates multiple cellular responses, including cell survival, differentiation, and motility. Although significant attention has been focused on the role of cytokines during inflammation and immunity, it has become clear that they are also implicated in normal brain function. However, because of the large number of different genes encoding cytokines and their receptors in mammals, the precise role of cytokines in brain physiology has been difficult to decipher. Here, we took advantage of Drosophila's being a genetically simpler model system to address the function of cytokines in memory formation. Expression analysis showed that the cytokine Upd is enriched in the Drosophila memory center, the mushroom bodies. Using tissue- and adult-specific expression of RNAi and dominant-negative proteins, we show that not only is Upd specifically required in the mushroom bodies for olfactory aversive long-term memory but the Upd receptor Dome, as well as the Drosophila JAK and STAT homologs Hop and Stat92E, are also required, while being dispensable for less stable memory forms.

Characterization of a dominant-active STAT that promotes tumorigenesis in Drosophila

Little is known about the molecular mechanisms by which STAT proteins promote tumorigenesis. Drosophila is an ideal system for investigating this issue, as there is a single STAT (Stat92E), and its hyperactivation causes overgrowths resembling human tumors. Here we report the first identification of a dominant-active Stat92E protein, Stat92E(DeltaNDeltaC), which lacks both N- and C-termini. Mis-expression of Stat92E(DeltaNDeltaC)in vivo causes melanotic tumors, while in vitro it transactivates a Stat92E-luciferase reporter in the absence of stimulation. These gain-of-function phenotypes require phosphorylation of Y(711) and dimer formation with full-length Stat92E. Furthermore, a single point mutation, an R(442P) substitution in the DNA-binding domain, abolishes Stat92E function. Recombinant Stat92E(R442P) translocates to the nucleus following activation but fails to function in all assays tested. Interestingly, R(442) is conserved in most STATs in higher organisms, suggesting conservation of function. Modeling of Stat92E indicates that R(442) may contact the minor groove of DNA via invariant TC bases in the consensus binding element bound by all STAT proteins. We conclude that the N- and C- termini function unexpectedly in negatively regulating Stat92E activity, possibly by decreasing dimer dephosphorylation or increasing stability of DNA interaction, and that Stat92E(R442) has a nuclear function by altering dimer:DNA binding.

STAT92E is a positive regulator of Drosophila inhibitor of apoptosis 1 (DIAP/1) and protects against radiation-induced apoptosis

The proapoptotic factors Reaper, Hid, Grim, and Sickle regulate apoptosis in Drosophila by inhibiting the antiapoptotic factor DIAP1 (Drosophila inhibitor of apoptosis 1). Heat, UV light, x-rays, and developmental signals can all increase the proapoptotic factors, but the control of transcription of the diap1 gene is unclear. We show that in imaginal discs the single Drosophila STAT protein (STAT92E) when activated can directly increase DIAP1 through binding to STAT DNA-binding sites in the diap1 promoter. The STAT92E contribution to DIAP1 production is required for cell survival after x-irradiation but not under unstressed conditions. Because DIAP1 prevents apoptosis after a variety of stresses, STAT92E may have a role in regulating stress responses in general.

STAT5 requires the N-domain to maintain hematopoietic stem cell repopulating function and appropriate lymphoid-myeloid lineage output

OBJECTIVE

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) is a critical regulator of hematopoietic development and its impaired activation is associated with hematopoietic and immune cell defects. However, much of this information has been learned from knockout mice that still retain the potential for expression of STAT5 proteins that are N-terminally truncated due to alternative internal translation initiation codons. The goal of these studies was to use transplantation-based assays to analyze the degree of STAT5 deltaN activity in hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) and throughout lymphomyeloid development.

METHODS

We have directly compared E14.5 fetal liver cells from mice with potential to express STAT5ab deltaN (STAT5ab(deltaN/deltaN)) with mice completely lacking STAT5a and STAT5b (STAT5abnull/null). We have also utilized retroviral complementation of STAT5abnull/null fetal liver HSC to enforce expression of full-length STAT5a or STAT5a lacking the first 136 amino acids (STAT5a deltaN).

RESULTS

We report that STAT5 is required for HSC, lymphocyte, and erythrocyte development. We demonstrate that restored expression of STAT5a in STAT5abnull/null HSC provides a strong selective advantage, correcting T- and B-lymphocyte and erythrocyte development. Interestingly, Gr-1(+) blood cells were inversely correlated with B lymphocytes and both were normalized by STAT5a expression. In contrast, transduction of STAT5a deltaN only provided partial B-lymphocyte development.

CONCLUSIONS

These studies define the role of STAT5 in maintaining normal lymphoid vs myeloid balance during hematopoiesis and highlight a major role for the N-domain in HSC function. The platform of retroviral complementation described here will be particularly useful for future studies to subdefine the N-domain regions that are critical for hematopoiesis.

C. elegans STAT: evolution of a regulatory switch

STAT transcription factors have been implicated in many biological processes, particularly host immune defense and development. Here we characterize a STAT orthologue from the nematode, C. elegans. We show that this protein, termed STA-1, is structurally and functionally related to other vertebrate and invertebrate STAT proteins, recognizing a cis DNA element conserved through phylogeny. Unexpectedly, STA-1 lacks the conserved amino-terminal oligomerization domain found in vertebrate and other invertebrate STAT proteins, a feature also lacking in orthologues from a distantly related nematode species and from the slime mold, Dictyostelium discoideum. This absence suggests that a primordial STAT protein lacked this domain, which was accreted later in evolution to provide further regulatory control of STAT signaling. Derivation of null mutants demonstrated that STA-1 is not required for nematode viability, despite its widespread expression in multiple tissues of the worm. However, mutant STA-1 proteins that lack functional coiled-coil and DNA binding domains could still be activated and accumulated in the nucleus, suggesting that DNA binding is not a necessary prerequisite for nuclear retention of activated STAT proteins. Our results shed new light on the evolution and function of the STAT signaling pathway and on the structural requirements for STAT activation.

JAK/STAT signalling in Drosophila: insights into conserved regulatory and cellular functions

High levels of interspecies conservation characterise all signal transduction cascades and demonstrate the significance of these pathways over evolutionary time. Here, we review advances in the field of JAK/STAT signalling, focusing on recent developments in Drosophila. In particular, recent results from genetic and genome-wide RNAi screens, as well as studies into the developmental roles played by this pathway, highlight striking levels of physical and functional conservation in processes such as cellular proliferation, immune responses and stem cell maintenance. These insights underscore the value of model organisms for improving our understanding of this human disease-relevant pathway.

Wnt activation and alternative promoter repression of LEF1 in colon cancer

Alternative promoters within the LEF1 locus produce polypeptides of opposing biological activities. Promoter 1 produces full-length LEF-1 protein, which recruits beta-catenin to Wnt target genes. Promoter 2 produces a truncated form that cannot interact with beta-catenin and instead suppresses Wnt regulation of target genes. Here we show that promoter 1 is aberrantly activated in colon cancers because it is a direct target of the Wnt pathway. T-cell factor (TCF)-beta-catenin complexes bind to Wnt response elements in exon 1 and dynamically regulate chromatin acetylation and promoter 1 activity. Promoter 2 is delimited to the intron 2/exon 3 boundary and, like promoter 1, is also directly regulated by TCF-beta-catenin complexes. Promoter 2 is nevertheless silent in colon cancer because an upstream repressor selectively targets the basal promoter leading to destabilized TCF-beta-catenin binding. We conclude that the biological outcome of aberrant LEF1 activation in colon cancer is directed by differential promoter activation and repression.

C. elegans STAT cooperates with DAF-7/TGF-beta signaling to repress dauer formation

The DAF-7/TGF-beta pathway in C. elegans interprets environmental signals relayed through amphid neurons and actively inhibits dauer formation during reproductive developmental growth . In metazoans, the STAT pathway interprets external stimuli through regulated tyrosine phosphorylation, nuclear translocation, and gene expression , but its importance for developmental commitment, particularly in conjunction with TGF-beta, remains largely unknown. Here, we report that the nematode STAT ortholog STA-1 accumulated in the nuclei of five head neuron pairs, three of which are amphid neurons involved in dauer formation . Moreover, sta-1 mutants showed a synthetic dauer phenotype with selected TGF-beta mutations. sta-1 deficiency was complemented by reconstitution with wild-type protein, but not with a tyrosine mutant. Canonical TGF-beta signaling involves the DAF-7/TGF-beta ligand activating the DAF-1/DAF-4 receptor pair to regulate the DAF-8/DAF-14 Smads . Interestingly, STA-1 functioned in the absence of DAF-7, DAF-4, and DAF-14, but it required DAF-1 and DAF-8. Additionally, STA-1 expression was induced by TGF-beta in a DAF-3-dependent manner, demonstrating a homeostatic negative feedback loop. These results highlight a role for activated STAT proteins in repression of dauer formation. They also raise the possibility of an unexpected function for DAF-1 and DAF-8 that is independent of their normal upstream activator, DAF-7.

Opposing roles for Drosophila JAK/STAT signalling during cellular proliferation

The JAK/STAT signalling pathway mediates both antiproliferative responses following interferon stimulation and cellular proliferation in response to cytokines such as interleukins and growth factors. Central to these responses are the seven vertebrate STAT molecules, misregulation of which is implicated in a variety of malignancies. We have investigated the proliferative role of the single Drosophila STAT92E, part of the evolutionarily conserved JAK/STAT cascade. During second instar larval wing disc development pathway activity is both necessary and sufficient to promote proliferation of this epithelial cell type. However by later stages, endogenous STAT92E is stimulated by a noncannonical mechanism to exert pronounced antiproliferative effects. Ectopic canonical activation is sufficient to further decrease proliferation and leads to the premature arrest of cells in the G2 phase of the cell cycle. The single STAT92E present in Drosophila therefore mediates both proproliferative functions analogous to vertebrate interleukin-stimulated STAT3 and antiproliferative functions analogous to interferon-stimulated STAT1. Pro- and antiproliferative roles therefore represent ancestral activities conserved through evolution and subsequently assigned to distinct molecules.

The roles of JAK/STAT signaling in Drosophila immune responses

Innate immune responses are mediated by the activation of various signaling processes. Here, we describe our current knowledge on Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) signaling in the Drosophila immune response. First, we briefly introduce the main effectors involved in the humoral and cellular responses, such as anti-bacterial peptides and hemocytes. Second, we describe the canonical JAK/STAT-signaling pathway, as established from extensive studies in mammalian systems, and we introduce the Drosophila components of the JAK/STAT pathway, as discovered from studies on embryonic development. Third, we describe the various roles of JAK/STAT signaling in both humoral and cellular responses. We present the JAK/STAT-dependent humoral factors, such as the thioester-containing proteins and the Tot peptides, produced by the fat body in response to septic injury. We also discuss the possible involvement of the JAK/STAT pathway in cellular responses, including hemocyte proliferation and differentiation. Finally, we present how cytokines, such as Upd3, might contribute to the integration of the immune responses at the organism level by orchestrating the response of various immune cells and organs, such as fat body, hemocytes, and lymph glands.

Essential role of STAT3 in postnatal survival and growth revealed by mice lacking STAT3 serine 727 phosphorylation

A large number of extracellular polypeptides bound to their cognate receptors activate the transcription factor STAT3 by phosphorylation of tyrosine 705. Supplemental activation occurs when serine 727 is also phosphorylated. STAT3 deletion in mice leads to embryonic lethality. We have produced mice with alanine substituted for serine 727 in STAT3 (the SA allele) to examine the function of serine 727 phosphorylation in vivo. Embryonic fibroblasts from SA/SA mice had approximately 50% of the transcriptional response of wild-type cells. However, SA/SA mice were viable and grossly normal. STAT3 wild-type/null (+/-) animals were also normal and were interbred with SA/SA mice to study SA/- mice. The SA/- mice progressed through gestation, showing 10 to 15% reduced birth weight, three-fourths died soon after birth, and the SA/- survivors reached only 50 to 60% of normal size at 1 week of age. The lethality and decreased growth were accompanied by altered insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels in serum, establishing a role for the STAT3 serine phosphorylation acting through IGF-1 in embryonic and perinatal growth. The SA/- survivors have decreased thymocyte number associated with increased apoptosis, but unexpectedly normal STAT3-dependent liver acute phase response. These animals offer the opportunity to study defined reductions in the transcriptional capacity of a widely used signaling pathway.

Impact of alternative initiation, splicing, and termination on the diversity of the mRNA transcripts encoded by the mouse transcriptome

We analyzed the FANTOM2 clone set of 60,770 RIKEN full-length mouse cDNA sequences and 44,122 public mRNA sequences. We developed a new computational procedure to identify and classify the forms of splice variation evident in this data set and organized the results into a publicly accessible database that can be used for future expression array construction, structural genomics, and analyses of the mechanism and regulation of alternative splicing. Statistical analysis shows that at least 41% and possibly as much as 60% of multiexon genes in mouse have multiple splice forms. Of the transcription units with multiple splice forms, 49% contain transcripts in which the apparent use of an alternative transcription start (stop) is accompanied by alternative splicing of the initial (terminal) exon. This implies that alternative transcription may frequently induce alternative splicing. The fact that 73% of all exons with splice variation fall within the annotated coding region indicates that most splice variation is likely to affect the protein form. Finally, we compared the set of constitutive (present in all transcripts) exons with the set of cryptic (present only in some transcripts) exons and found statistically significant differences in their length distributions, the nucleotide distributions around their splice junctions, and the frequencies of occurrence of several short sequence motifs.

Cyclin D-Cdk4 and cyclin E-Cdk2 regulate the Jak/STAT signal transduction pathway in Drosophila

The JAK/STAT signal transduction pathway regulates many developmental processes in Drosophila. However, the functional mechanism of this pathway is poorly understood. In this report, we identify the Drosophila cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (Cdk4), which exhibits embryonic mutant phenotypes identical to those in the Hopscotch/JAK kinase and stat92E/STAT mutations. Specific genetic interactions between Cdk4 and hop mutations suggest that Cdk4 functions downstream of the HOP tyrosine kinase. We further show that Cyclin D-Cdk4 (as well as Cyclin E-Cdk2) binds and regulates STAT92E protein stability. STAT92E regulates gene expression for various biological processes, including the endocycle S phase. These data suggest that Cyclin D-Cdk4 and Cyclin E-Cdk2 play more versatile roles in Drosophila development.

The Jak/STAT pathway in model organisms: emerging roles in cell movement

The JAK/STAT pathway was originally identified in mammals. Studies of this pathway in the mouse have revealed that JAK/STAT signaling plays a central role during hematopoeisis and other developmental processes. The role of JAK/STAT signaling in blood appears to be conserved throughout evolution, as it is also required during fly hematopoeisis. Studies in Dictyostelium, Drosophila, and zebrafish have shown that the JAK/STAT pathway is also required in an unusually broad set of developmental decisions, including cell proliferation, cell fate determination, cell migration, planar polarity, convergent extension, and immunity. There is increasing evidence that the versatility of this pathway relies on its cooperation with other signal transduction pathways. In this review, we discuss the components of the JAK/STAT pathway in model organisms and what is known about its requirement in cellular and developmental processes. In particular, we emphasize recent insights into the role that this pathway plays in the control of cell movement.