Volume 32, Issue 5 e2343
REVIEW

Crosstalk between RNA viruses and DNA sensors: Role of the cGAS-STING signalling pathway

Yiyun Michelle Fan

Yiyun Michelle Fan

Center for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

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Yizhuo Lyanne Zhang

Yizhuo Lyanne Zhang

Center for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

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Honglin Luo

Corresponding Author

Honglin Luo

Center for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Correspondence

Honglin Luo and Yasir Mohamud, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, Department of Pathology and Laboratory of Medicine, University of British Columbia, St. Paul's Hospital, Room 166, 1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6, Canada.

Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

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Yasir Mohamud

Corresponding Author

Yasir Mohamud

Center for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Correspondence

Honglin Luo and Yasir Mohamud, Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, Department of Pathology and Laboratory of Medicine, University of British Columbia, St. Paul's Hospital, Room 166, 1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1Y6, Canada.

Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

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First published: 07 March 2022
Citations: 7

Yiyun Michelle Fan and Yizhuo Lyanne Zhang contributed equally to this study.

Abstract

Despite only comprising half of all known viral species, RNA viruses are disproportionately responsible for many of the worst epidemics in human history, including outbreaks of influenza, poliomyelitis, Ebola, and most recently, the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The propensity for RNA viruses to replicate in cytosolic compartments has led to an evolutionary arms race and the emergence of cytosolic sensors to recognise and initiate the host innate immune response. Although significant progress has been made in identifying and characterising cytosolic RNA sensors as anti-viral innate immune factors, the potential role for cytosolic DNA sensors in RNA viral infection is only recently being appreciated. Among these, the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway has attracted increasing attention. The cGAS-STING signalling pathway has emerged as a key innate immune signalling axis that is implicated in diverse human diseases from infectious diseases to neurodegeneration and cancer. Here we review the existing literature on RNA viruses and their reciprocal interactions with the cGAS-STING pathway and share insights into RNA virus diversity by touching on the similarities and differences of RNA viral strategies.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

DATA AVAILABLITY STATEMENT

Data sharing is not applicable as no datasets were generated or analysed in the current study.

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.