Studies on the pathogenesis of inflammatory arthritides have begun to delve into the molecular and cellular mechanisms behind the development of these diseases, and transcription factors, as key regulators of immune-effector-cell development and function, have received growing attention. Their involvement in immune cells, such as T and B lymphocytes, macrophages and neutrophils, and cells from diseased tissues, such as synoviocytes, has been investigated, revealing dominant roles for members of the nuclear factor kappaB family, signal-transducer and activator of transcription family, and activator protein 1 family. This review summarizes recent findings and current knowledge regarding the roles of transcription factors in inflammatory arthritis, as evidenced by both biological and genetic studies, and discusses the relevance of these findings for anti-inflammatory therapies.