cGAS–STING and cancer: dichotomous roles in tumor immunity and development

KW Ng, EA Marshall, JC Bell, WL Lam - Trends in immunology, 2018 - cell.com
Trends in immunology, 2018cell.com
cGMP–AMP synthase (cGAS)–stimulator of interferon genes (STING) sensing has emerged
as a key regulator of innate immune responses to both exogenous and endogenous DNA.
Recent studies reveal critical roles for this pathway in natural antitumor immunity across
cancer types as well as in immune checkpoint blockade therapy. However, it is also clear
that some tumors evade cGAS–STING-mediated immune responses, and
immunomodulatory therapeutics are currently being explored to target this pathway. Finally …
cGMP–AMP synthase (cGAS)–stimulator of interferon genes (STING) sensing has emerged as a key regulator of innate immune responses to both exogenous and endogenous DNA. Recent studies reveal critical roles for this pathway in natural antitumor immunity across cancer types as well as in immune checkpoint blockade therapy. However, it is also clear that some tumors evade cGAS–STING-mediated immune responses, and immunomodulatory therapeutics are currently being explored to target this pathway. Finally, we also discuss recent observations that cGAS–STING-mediated inflammation may promote tumor initiation, growth, and metastasis in certain malignancies and how this may complicate the utility of this pathway in therapeutic development.
cell.com