Activation of the STAT pathway in acute lung injury.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a devastating clinical problem with a mortality as high as 60%. It is now appreciated that ALI represents a cytokine excess state that involves the microvasculature of multiple organs. The signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) family of transcription factors activate critical mediators of cytokine responses, but there is limited knowledge about their role in mediating ALI.