PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “CGAS-STING”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2026

cGAS-STING signaling in aging and age-related diseases: therapeutic promise and precaution.

Endogenous cytoplasmic DNA (cytoDNA) is increasingly recognized as a mediator of tissue dysfunction and disease progression during aging. As a major cytosolic DNA-sensing pathway, the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS-STING) pathway can translate aging-associated cytoDNA accumulation into innate immune and inflammatory programs. This review summarizes the evolutionary and signaling features of the cGAS-STING cascade and critically discusses its crosstalk with aging-associated intracellular molecular threats, including nuclear genomic and chromatin stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative-metabolic stress, and defective clearance of nucleic acids or damaged organelles. We further synthesize evidence linking dysregulated cGAS-STING activation to inflammatory remodeling, senescence-associated changes, cell injury, fibrosis, and tissue dysfunction, while highlighting the context-dependent roles of this pathway across physiological aging and ARDs. Finally, we discuss the therapeutic potential and limitations of cGAS-STING modulation, emphasizing that successful translation will require context-defined therapeutic windows, tissue- and cell-specific targeting, subcellular compartmentalization, and long-term safety assessment.

Humans↗
PubMed2026

DNA-PKcs and PARP1 at the interface between DNA damage responses and cGAS-STING signaling: context-dependent roles and therapeutic implications.

AIMS: To explore the roles of DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) in both the DNA damage repair (DDR) pathway and the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS-STING) pathway mediated immune response, and to analyze the therapeutic potential of their inhibitors. METHODS: This is a review article synthesizing recent findings on the functions of DNA-PKcs and PARP1 in DDR, their context-dependent effects on the cGAS-STING pathway and the therapeutic mechanisms of their inhibitors. RESULTS: DNA-PKcs and PARP1 are key components of two major DDR mechanisms. Beyond their canonical repair functions, both factors significantly regulate the cGAS-STING pathway, a central mediator linking cytoplasmic DNA and the type I interferon response. CONCLUSION: DNA-PKcs and PARP1 connect genome maintenance with innate immune signaling through context-dependent mechanisms. Targeting these proteins represents a promising strategy for modulating cGAS-STING signaling and improving disease treatment.

Humans↗
PubMed2026

Glutathione reductase deficiency potentiates the immunogenicity of ferroptosis and cuproptosis via amplified reactive oxygen species accumulation and cGAS-STING pathway activation.

BACKGROUND: Cancer remains a major therapeutic challenge due to drug resistance and metastasis, processes driven by oxidative stress and redox imbalance. Targeting this vulnerability through ferroptosis (iron-dependent lipid peroxidation) and cuproptosis (copper-driven mitochondrial dysfunction), two ROS-mediated cell death pathways, offers a promising therapeutic strategy. However, clinical translation is hindered by incomplete understanding of their redox regulation and limited immunogenicity. METHODS: A genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen was performed to identify key regulators of ferroptosis. Genetic depletion or pharmacological inhibition of candidate genes was evaluated across multiple cancer cell lines for sensitivity to ferroptosis inducer RSL3 and the cuproptosis inducer elesclomol (Es). Antitumor efficacy was assessed in xenograft, orthotopic, metastatic, and syngeneic mouse models, alone or combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Mechanistic studies also examined ROS production, mitochondrial stress, mitochondrial DNA release, cGAS-STING activation, and immune responses within the tumor microenvironment. RESULTS: Glutathione reductase (GSR), a central enzyme maintaining reduced glutathione (GSH) homeostasis, was identified as the top suppressor of ferroptosis. GSR knockout or pharmacological inhibition markedly sensitized diverse cancer cell lines to RSL3-induced ferroptosis, while GSR overexpression conferred resistance. Strikingly, GSR depletion also enhanced sensitivity to cuproptosis triggered by the copper ionophore Es. In multiple in vivo tumor models, GSR inhibition synergizes with RSL3 or Es to suppress tumor growth, inhibit lung metastasis, and prolong survival. Mechanistically, GSR deficiency amplified ROS production, induced mitochondrial stress, and triggered the cytosolic mitochondrial DNA release under ferroptotic or cuproptotic stress, activating the cGAS-STING pathway in vitro and in vivo. This increased inflammatory cytokine production, promoted immunogenic cell death, and enhanced the release of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), including HMGB1. Together, GSR inhibition combined with a ferroptosis or cuproptosis inducer transformed the tumor microenvironment into a highly immune stimulatory state, thereby enhancing the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade through increased dendritic cell activation and T-cell infiltration and activation. CONCLUSIONS: GSR represents a key molecular node connecting and modulating ferroptosis and cuproptosis through redox regulation. Targeting GSR amplifies ROS-mediated immunogenic cell death, triggers cGAS-STING activation in cancer cells, and enhances the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy, providing a promising redox-based therapeutic strategy.

Ferroptosis↗
PubMed2026

Context-Dependent cGAS-STING Activation Shapes Metastatic Progression and Dormancy.

Cancer cells survive, proliferate, and metastasize in part because the immune system fails to detect and eliminate them. Moreover, the tumor microenvironment (TME) that surrounds the tumor supports cancer cell survival and resistance to chemo- and immunotherapies by inhibiting antitumor immune responses and thereby reducing the efficacy of immunotherapeutic interventions. cGAS-STING signaling senses cytoplasmic DNA and coordinates innate immune responses that shape tumor-intrinsic outcomes and the TME. Emerging evidence reveals a context-dependent, dualistic role for cGAS-STING in metastatic progression and cancer dormancy. Acute, robust activation in antigen-presenting cells promotes type I interferon responses, leading to suppression of tumor growth. By contrast, chronic, low-level cancer-intrinsic STING signaling can engage inflammatory programs that foster immune suppression and therapy resistance. Dormant disseminated tumor cells exploit niche cues to downregulate STING signaling and evade immune detection, whereas reactivation of dormant cells often involves restoration of STING activity that can promote immune elimination. In this article, we review mechanisms linking genome instability and cytoplasmic DNA to STING activation, summarize evidence for tumor-suppressive versus tumor-promoting functions across metastatic niches, and discuss how STING agonists and combination strategies may be optimized to maximize antitumor immunity while avoiding protumorigenic effects.

Humans↗
PubMed2026

Cell-type specific activation of the cGAS-STING pathway in tumor immunotherapy: mechanisms and therapeutic implications.

BACKGROUND: The cyclic GMP–AMP synthase–stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS–STING) pathway acts as a pivotal innate immune sensor that detects cytosolic DNA and links genomic instability to antitumor immune activation. Therapeutic activation of this pathway has garnered substantial interest as a strategy to enhance cancer immunotherapy by promoting dendritic cell maturation, augmenting antigen presentation, and facilitating cytotoxic lymphocyte infiltration. However, the functional outcomes of cGAS–STING signaling are highly context dependent and influenced by both cell type and tumor microenvironmental (TME) conditions. MAIN BODY: Recent advances in single-cell and spatial transcriptomic profiling have revealed profound heterogeneity in cGAS–STING activation across distinct cellular and regional compartments within tumors. Acute and spatially restricted activation of the pathway can elicit potent antitumor immune responses, whereas chronic or dysregulated signaling may promote immune tolerance and tumor progression. Moreover, metabolic stress, epigenetic silencing, and microenvironmental immunosuppressive factors such as TGF-β and IL-10 can further modulate STING activity, leading to resistance to immunotherapy. Current translational efforts focus on next-generation STING agonists, nanoparticle-based delivery systems, and rational combination strategies with immune checkpoint blockade and metabolic modulators to overcome tumor-intrinsic resistance and minimize systemic toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the cell-type-specific and spatial dynamics of cGAS–STING signaling is crucial for the rational design of precision immunotherapies. Future research should emphasize context-dependent modulation of STING activity to maximize therapeutic benefit while limiting adverse effects. Integrating multi-omics technologies and spatially guided drug delivery may ultimately enable personalized modulation of the cGAS–STING axis, transforming it into a clinically effective and safe strategy for cancer immunotherapy.

Humans↗
PubMed2026

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Rv0158 negatively regulates the cGAS-STING pathway mediated type I IFN production and enhances intracellular survival.

BACKGROUND: Type I interferons (IFN) play an important role in the host defense against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) infection and disease pathogenesis. Although M. tb has evolved several mechanisms to evade host immune surveillance, the mechanism used to regulate type I IFN expression remains unclear. METHODS: In this study, genome-wide high-throughput loss-of-function screening was performed to screen M. tb determinants that regulate the Type I IFN pathway, and the role for M. tb Rv0158 in inhibiting type I IFN responses was identified in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: The M. tb coding protein Rv0158 was identified among many transposon (Tn) insertion mutants, which increased the expression of IFN-β and some pro-inflammatory cytokines. The results suggested that Rv0158 is associated with reduced STING protein levels and suppression of cGAS-STING-mediated innate immune responses, suggesting that Rv0158 may indirectly facilitate STING degradation or modulate its stability through host-interacting partners. Rv0158 also down-regulated the transcription of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) and increased the bacterial load in mice. CONCLUSION: Overall, our finding identified a new bacterial factor Rv0158, these results reveal an important role for M. tb Rv0158 in inhibiting Type I IFN responses, which improves our understanding of the immune evasion mechanisms of M. tb.

Immune escape↗
PubMed2026

Systematic discovery of pathogen effector functions across human pathogens and pathways.

Pathogens deploy effector proteins to exploit host cell biology, and most effector open reading frames (ORFs) are rapidly evolving and lack functional annotation. We developed the effector ORFeome (eORFeome), a scalable functional genomics platform encompassing 3,835 effector ORFs from diverse viruses, bacteria, and parasites. High-throughput barcoded screens across nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), apoptosis, p53, cGAS-STING, and major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC class I) pathways revealed novel pathway-modulating functions for hundreds of uncharacterized eORFs, unexpected activities of known effectors, and distinct pathway-specific functions encoded by single ORFs. Illustrating the power of this approach, we identified HHV6A U14 as a p53 antagonist, HHV7 U21 as a dual-function STING antagonist and MHC-I antigen display inhibitor, and adenoviral 13.6K/i-leader protein as a de novo-evolved TAP inhibitor that suppresses MHC-I display. These results establish a general framework for systematic effector annotation, uncover new mechanisms of host-pathogen interaction across kingdoms, and highlight pathogen effectors as a versatile toolkit for rewiring and probing human cellular pathways.

Humans↗
PubMed2026

CK2α restriction of STING accumulation underlies systemic aging.

Chronic activation of the cGAS-STING pathway drives inflammaging and cellular senescence. Although nuclear envelope (NE) barrier failure leading to cytoplasmic chromatin leakage is a key trigger, the molecular mechanisms governing STING activity at the NE during aging remain poorly understood. Here, we identify lamin A/C (LMNA) as a critical NE scaffold that orchestrates STING regulation by recruiting both STING and Casein Kinase 2 (CK2α). We demonstrate that LMNA facilitates the phosphorylation of STING at Ser366 by CK2α, which promotes STING turnover and restricts its accumulation, thereby attenuating pathway activation and mitigating senescence in myeloid cells as well as systemic aging. Strikingly, pharmacologic STING inhibition in vivo robustly rescues progeroid phenotypes-including loss of bone density and multi-tissue senescence-and extends lifespan in progeroid mouse models. Moreover, H-151 treatment also ameliorates the premature aging phenotypes induced by myeloid-specific CK2α ablation. In contrast, constitutive STING ablation yields limited survival benefits, revealing that controlled attenuation of STING signaling, rather than complete elimination, drives therapeutic efficacy. Our findings establish the LMNA-CK2-STING axis as a key biochemical mechanism that suppresses innate immune activation at the NE, offering a promising strategy for ameliorating aging and progeroid pathologies.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

A system-level metastable model of cancer evolution: integrating replication stress, cell cycle deregulation and chromosomal instability.

INTRODUCTION: Cancer cell proliferation occurs within the context of persistent genomic instability. In this review, we propose the RS-CCD-CIN axis as a systems-level framework in which replication stress (RS), cell cycle deregulation (CCD) and chromosomal instability (CIN) form an interdependent triad that shapes tumour evolution. This axis represents a constrained metastable state in which genomic instability is tolerated and buffered. The objective of this review is to synthesize the current understanding of how the RS-CCD-CIN axis contributes to tumour heterogeneity, adaptability and therapy response. DISCUSSION: Evidence indicates that RS, CCD and CIN operate as a dynamic, interconnected network rather than as independent processes. Replication stress induces DNA damage and mutagenesis, while partial checkpoint disruption permits cells with unresolved lesions to proliferate. Chromosomal instability generates both structural and numerical alterations, contributing to intratumoural heterogeneity. Together, these processes facilitate adaptation to environmental and therapeutic pressures. Extrachromosomal DNA, micronuclei formation and cytosolic DNA signalling, including the cGAS-STING pathway, connect genomic instability to adaptive responses and immune modulation. Single-cell and spatial profiling reveal temporal and spatial variability in RS, CCD and CIN states, highlighting the limitations of static biomarkers. Therapeutically, targeting individual components often yields limited durability, whereas approaches that simultaneously perturb multiple aspects of the RS-CCD-CIN axis may improve clinical outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: This review highlights the RS-CCD-CIN axis as a fragile and metastable architecture that supports cancer evolution, while also being susceptible to collapse. A deeper understanding of this interconnected framework may inform the development of therapeutic strategies and enhance the management of resistance.

Humans↗
PubMed2026

G-quadruplex structures as regulators of cellular processes and drivers of genome instability in cancer.

G-quadruplexes (G4s) are essential regulatory structures whose biological functions are inseparable from their potential to destabilize the genome. They play critical roles in transcription, replication and chromatin architecture, yet they also contribute to the genomic instability that fuels cancer. This dual role is an inherent consequence of where G4s form in the genome. G4s are enriched at highly active regulatory regions, including promoters, replication origins and topologically associated domain boundaries, where their controlled formation and resolution by helicases and topoisomerases support normal genome function. When this control is lost, the same features that make G4s functional become harmful, leading to R-loop and G-loop accumulation, replication fork stalling and increased conflicts between transcription and replication. Topoisomerase activity, which normally relieves supercoiling stress, can instead generate the DNA double-strand breaks that characterize cancer genomes. Persistent G4 structures also promote micronuclei formation and cytoplasmic DNA accumulation, activating the cGAS-STING innate immune signaling pathway. Here, we discuss these mechanisms and present pan-cancer genomic analyses showing that these processes operate broadly across human tumors. Therapeutically targeting G4s requires balancing their essential regulatory roles with their pathological effects. Understanding this tension is therefore essential for exploiting G4s as therapeutic targets across cancer types.

DEAH-box helicases↗
PubMed2026

Loss of XRCC1 promotes cGAS/STING mediated innate immune signaling in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: One of the most defining features of gastric cancer (GC) is harboring deficiency in DNA repair that subsequently contributes to carcinogenesis. The X-ray repair cross complementing 1 (XRCC1) protein is a key molecular scaffold required for efficient repair of DNA single-strand breaks (SSBs) to maintain genomic stability. However, further investigation is needed to uncover the role of XRCC1 in innate immune signaling and inflammation in GC. METHODS: We evaluated how loss of XRCC1 leads to accumulation of cytosolic DNA using immunofluorescence localization assay and measuring DNA from cytosolic extract. We applied ON-TARGETplus™ SMARTpool siRNAs to knockdown XRCC1 in gastric cell lines and examined the innate immune siganling and inflammation with and without ATM inhibitor treatment. Further, we examined Type I interferon gene expression in various gastric cancer cell lines and assessed its role in cGAS-STING signaling using RT-qPCR, RNA-Seq, and immunoblot analysis. In addition, we generated conditional knockout XRCC1 mice and characterized the innate immune signaling from stomach tissue extract using RT-qPCR, western blot. Further, the DNA damage and histological analysis was done by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: In this work, we examined the role of XRCC1 in modulating the innate immune signaling axis via cGAS/STING pathway. We find that XRCC1 deficient gastric cancer cell lines and mouse stomach tissue shows activation of cGAS/STING signaling. Further, ATM inhibition enhances robust cGAS/STING mediate innate immune signaling and PD-L1 expression in XRCC1 deficient gastric cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this work demonstrate that XRCC1 is essential to maintain innate immune homeostasis. Further, this work suggest that ATM inhibitors may provide a potential therapeutic strategy to enhance the PD-L1 expression that could increase the efficacy of an immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in XRCC1 deficient or low expressing GC.

X-ray Repair Cross Complementing Protein 1↗
PubMed2026

Pan-cancer single-cell atlas of immunotherapy response identifies ZNF385A as a regulator of immune evasion in small cell lung cancer.

Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized the treatment landscape of solid tumors, response rates in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) remain limited, and acquired resistance is highly prevalent. The underlying mechanisms of this immunotherapy resistance remain to be fully elucidated. Clinically, SCLC typically manifests as an "immune-cold" tumor, characterized by a low abundance of CD8+ T cell infiltration and the rare formation of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS). While DNA damage repair (DDR) is closely linked to innate immune responses, how DDR networks orchestrate the SCLC immune microenvironment remains obscure. In this study, we integrated single-cell transcriptomic data (comprising 344,447 high-quality cells) from six cancer types (BCC, CRC, HCC, HNSCC, iCCA, and SCLC). Our comparative analysis revealed a fundamental depletion of TLS-associated cellular subpopulations (e.g., CXCL13+ CD8+ T cells, HLA-DRB5+ B cells, and CXCL9+ dendritic cells) in SCLC, which was significantly correlated with aberrant DDR activity. Through high-dimensional weighted gene co-expression network analysis (hdWGCNA), we identified ZNF385A as the core hub gene within the DDR-associated module. ZNF385A is highly expressed in SCLC and is associated with poorer prognosis. In vitro, ZNF385A depletion suppressed SCLC cell proliferation and induced apoptosis, accompanied by R-loop accumulation and activation of cGAS-STING signaling, indicating a potential link between ZNF385A, genomic stability and tumor-intrinsic innate immune signaling. Collectively, these findings identify ZNF385A as a potential regulator associated with TLS deficiency and immune evasion in SCLC.

Immunotherapy resistance↗
PubMed2026

Engineered Bacteriophages in Cancer Immunotherapy: Emerging Concepts and Potential Integration with CAR-T Cell Therapy.

Due to antigen heterogeneity, restricted immune cell trafficking and an immunosuppressive, nutrient-restricted tumour microenvironment, solid tumours remain resistant to modern immunotherapies. Engineered bacteriophages offer a modular framework to overcome these obstacles: programmable virus-like particles with scalable production. Through genome engineering, capsid decoration with mammalian cell-targeting ligands, or hybrid AAV/phage systems, engineered bacteriophages can display tumour-associated antigens, enhance receptor-mediated uptake and deliver therapeutic payloads such as cytokines, chemokines and suicide genes without naturally infecting mammalian cells. These features support their use as vaccine platforms, immunological adjuvants and targeted gene-delivery vehicles. These may enable more precise, tumour-localized therapeutic intervention. Phages can engage innate immune pathways, including TLR9, TLR3/7/8, cGAS-STING and AIM2, promoting dendritic cell maturation and inflammatory mediators that may convert immunologically "cold" tumours into inflamed microenvironments. Their multivalent antigen display enhances B- and T-cell priming, while cDC1-mediated cross-presentation supports cytotoxic CD8+ T-cell responses and immunological memory. In CAR-T therapy, engineered phages may improve tumour homing through chemokine modulation, support persistence through local cytokine delivery, reduce antigen escape by presenting multiple tumour epitopes, and limit T-cell exhaustion through dominant-negative receptor strategies or local checkpoint blockade. This review summarizes engineering approaches, delivery systems, manufacturing, biodistribution, dosing, and safety issues, including immunogenicity, pre-existing anti-phage antibodies and horizontal gene transfer. It also distinguishes therapeutic engineered phage particles from phage display technologies used for molecular discovery. Despite encouraging results integrating modified bacteriophages with CAR-T cell therapy, the evidence remains mostly preclinical, indicating both substantial translational prospects and crucial obstacles for future clinical development.

CAR-T cell therapy↗
PubMed2026

A TIGIT nanotrapping-guided STING-activatable immunometabolic strategy overcomes innate immune silence and T cell exhaustion in breast cancer.

Breast cancer exhibits a profoundly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), where innate immune silence prevents antigen sensing and persistent T cell exhaustion limits effector responses, rendering most immunotherapies ineffective. Clinical profiling of 1093 The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cases identified a glucose-fueled glutathione (GSH)-glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4)-dihydrolipoamide S-acetyltransferase (DLAT) axis as a dominant metabolic shield that suppresses oxidative stress, and thereby enforces both stimulator of interferon genes (STING) silence and CD8+ T cell exclusion. To dismantle this barrier, we developed an immunometabolic nanotherapy, GOx/ES-CO-LDH@TIGIT-Nanotrap (TNT). In acidic tumors, proton-driven layered double hydroxide (LDH) disassembly releases glucose oxidase (GOx) and extremely small cuprous oxide (ES-CO). GOx depletes glucose and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) to induce disulfidptosis, while ES-CO releases cuprous ions (Cu+) that trigger cuproptosis via binding to lipoylated mitochondrial proteins. Their mutual biochemical amplification produces a cycloacclerated disulfidptosis-cuproptosis cascade that collapses the GSH-GPX4-DLAT axis and restores STING activation. Meanwhile, the macrophage-derived T cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains (TIGIT) Nanotrap sequesters CD155 to prevent T cell suppression. Together, this coordinated innate reactivation and adaptive rescue converts immune-cold tumors into STING-inflamed and T cell responsive lesions.

Female↗
PubMed2026

tRNA m1A modification orchestrates STING translation in macrophages to enhance antitumor immunity and CAR-macrophage immunotherapy.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play crucial roles in tumor progression. However, the mechanisms underlying the posttranscriptional regulation of TAMs remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrated that Trmt61a, the "writer" enzyme of tRNA N1-methyladenosine (m1A) modification, is highly expressed in proinflammatory macrophages in tumor microenvironment. We generated conditional knockout (KO) mice for Trmt61a and observed that Trmt61a deletion in macrophages significantly promoted tumor growth. Mechanistically, we identified that m1A maintains the translation of STING, enhances STING-TBK1-IFN-β signaling in macrophages and therefore suppresses tumor cell growth. We further generated TRMT61A-overexpressing human iPSC-derived CAR-macrophage and demonstrated that human TRMT61A effectively promoted antitumor CAR-macrophage therapy in vivo. Collectively, our findings reveal a novel regulatory mechanism of tRNA m1A modification in macrophages, highlighting the antitumor therapeutic potential of targeting tRNA m1A modification in macrophages.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

CAFs shape the immunosuppressive microenvironment of pancreatic cancer through the Lin28b-STING Axis.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts comprise diverse functionally distinct cellular subsets, with certain subpopulations exerting pivotal influence in shaping the pancreatic cancer immune microenvironment. Here we show that Lin28b+ cancer-associated fibroblasts contribute to establishing an immunologically cold tumor microenvironment in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Mechanistically, Lin28b directly binds to STING mRNA and promotes its degradation, thereby suppressing STING expression and downstream type I interferon signaling. Loss of Lin28b in cancer-associated fibroblasts activates the cGAS-STING-interferon signaling cascade, enhancing dendritic cell antigen presentation and CD8+ T cell cytotoxic function. Importantly, genetic inhibition of Lin28b in cancer-associated fibroblasts enhances sensitivity to anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint blockade therapy. These findings reveal that targeting the Lin28b-STING axis represents a promising therapeutic strategy for overcoming the intrinsic resistance of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma to immunotherapy.

Humans↗
PubMed2026

A versatile cGAMP reporter reveals principles of cGAS activation by DNA damage and chromosome instability.

cGAS is the primary innate immune DNA sensor. On binding DNA, cGAS generates cGAMP, ultimately driving inflammation. Although normally silenced on self-DNA, genotoxic stress can activate cGAS, proposed to be mediated by micronuclei, chromosome bridges and DNA:RNA hybrids. However, mechanistically, this is poorly understood due to a lack of sensitive and selective single-cell cGAS activation assays. Here we solve this with an improved cGAMP reporter for microscopy, flow cytometry and biochemical assays. Strikingly, we find that genotoxic stress-mediated cGAS activation is a rare event that is not driven by enrichment on micronuclei and occurs by mechanisms that vary in dependence on the genotoxic stress. Following chromosome mis-segregation, cGAS activation correlates with bridge association but, notably, ionizing radiation activates cGAS independently of bridges. Whereas simple DNA:RNA hybrids are inert, more complex structures such as R-loops activate cGAS. Our work revises the cGAS signalling framework and introduces a flexible tool to examine it.

Nucleotidyltransferases↗