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STING-mediated DNA sensing in cancer immunotherapy

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Abstract

While STING (STimulator of INterferon Genes) has been shown to be essential for cytosolic DNA-triggered innate immune activation, accumulated evidence obtained from various studies suggested that an intrinsic relevance of STING-associated signaling in tumorigenesis can be observed. Also, several clinical trials using immunostimulatory adjuvants, particularly agonistic as well as non-agonistic ligands for STING, have revealed their therapeutic potential not only as vaccine adjuvants but also as anti-tumor agents. However, cases have also been reported where the involvement of STING shows a protective role in tumor growth. Here we summarize recent findings that have pointed towards the STING pathway as an innate immune sensing mechanism driving type I interferon production in the tumor context. Better understanding of this pathway can guide further development of novel immunotherapeutic strategies in the treatment of cancer.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (91129000). Xiang Zhou was supported in part by the Postdoctoral Fellowship of Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences.

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  1. Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Xiang Zhou & Zhengfan Jiang

  2. Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Zhengfan Jiang

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  1. Xiang Zhou
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  2. Zhengfan Jiang
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Correspondence to Zhengfan Jiang.

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Zhou, X., Jiang, Z. STING-mediated DNA sensing in cancer immunotherapy. Sci. China Life Sci. 60, 563–574 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-016-9066-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-016-9066-0

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