Enables sequence-specific DNA binding activity. Acts upstream of or within cellular response to cytokine stimulus and cellular response to organic cyclic compound. Located in nucleus. Used to study obesity. Biomarker of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Human ortholog(s) of this gene implicated in several diseases, including IgA glomerulonephritis; autoimmune disease (multiple); dermatomyositis; genital herpes; and systemic scleroderma (multiple). Orthologous to human STAT4 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 4). [provided by Alliance of Genome Resources, Apr 2022]