title: The role of cGAS in innate immunity and beyond.
abstract: The sensing of foreign DNA is crucial for host defense against several pathogens. In the cytosol the enzyme cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) is critical for the recognition of pathogen-derived DNA and provides key signals that initiate immune responses. Beyond infection, accumulating evidence indicates that cGAS is also active during autoimmune diseases and controls immune responses that underlie cancer immunosurveillance. In this review, we highlight our current understanding of DNA sensing by cGAS and its involvement in human disease.
authors.affiliation: Global Health Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland. andrea.ablasser@epfl.ch.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ablasser
authors.affiliation: Global Health Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Muhammed F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Gulen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015551:Autoimmunity; D004247:DNA / Q000276:immunology*; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D009713:Nucleotidyltransferases / Q000276:immunology*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D000099197:STING Protein; D000099235:Cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate-Adenosine Monophosphate Synthase
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009713:Nucleotidyltransferases; C532857:STING1 protein, human; D000099197:STING Protein; C578390:cGAS protein, human; D000099235:Cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate-Adenosine Monophosphate Synthase
keywords: DNA sensing; Innate immunity; Type I interferons