Demystifying the cGAS-STING pathway: precision regulation in the tumor immune microenvironment

The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling pathway serves as an immune sentinel for cytosolic DNA, recognizing double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) derived from abnormally localized nuclear DNA or mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), and plays a pivotal role in innate immune responses and tumor immune surveillance. Conventional antitumor therapies induce genomic instability and mitochondrial stress, leading to the release of nuclear DNA and mtDNA into the cytosol, thereby activating the cGAS-STING pathway. This activation triggers the production of type I interferons (IFN-I) and pro-inflammatory cytokines, which reshape the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). However, the complexity of…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 82174222, 82430123
• SA
  State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the People's Republic of China
• NS
  Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province

  Awards: ZR2023LZY006, 82174222