The year 2003 marks the tenth anniversary of the first use of the acronym "Stat" (also written "STAT") in the scientific literature for a family of transcription factors which rapidly transduce cytokine-and growth factor elicited signals from the plasma membrane to the cell nucleus thereby activating gene transcription (thus, . s. ignal Transducers and Activators of Transcription). From those beginnings, the field of STAT transcription factors, their related regulatory molecules and their biology has grown exponentially in many different directions. In recognition of the rapid growth and...