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Taking the STING out of radiotherapy: STING checkpoints mediate radiation resistance
Michael C. Brown, … , Michelle L. Bowie, David M. Ashley
Michael C. Brown, … , Michelle L. Bowie, David M. Ashley
Published December 2, 2024
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2024;134(23):e186547. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI186547.
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Commentary Article has an altmetric score of 11

Taking the STING out of radiotherapy: STING checkpoints mediate radiation resistance

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Abstract

The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase/stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS/STING) pathway is a critical driver of type I interferon (IFN-I) and antitumor CD8+ T cell responses after radiotherapy (RT). In this issue of the JCI, two reports describe mechanisms that restrained STING signaling and abrogated antitumor immunity after RT. Wen, Wang, and colleagues discovered that IFN-I mediated the induction of YTHDF1, an RNA N6-methyladenosine–binding protein, in DCs after RT promoted cathepsin-mediated STING degradation. Zhang, Deng, Wu, and colleagues discovered that hemeoxygenase 1 (HO-1) was induced and proteolytically cleaved after RT to suppress cGAS cytoplasmic export as well as STING oligomerization at the ER. Blocking the STING-suppressive functions of YTHDF1 and HO-1, respectively, improved antitumor T cell immunity and tumor control after RT. Together, these studies support the development of clinical avenues to sustain STING signaling during RT, a standard treatment for approximately 50% of malignancies.

Authors

Michael C. Brown, Justin T. Low, Michelle L. Bowie, David M. Ashley

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Figure 1

STING suppression after RT limits antitumor T cell immunity.

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STING suppression after RT limits antitumor T cell immunity.
Zhang et al...
Zhang et al. (11) demonstrated that RT induces HO-1 expression and cleavage in cancer cells. This process leads to two mechanisms by which HO-1 suppresses cGAS/STING signaling. First, cleaved HO-1 localizes to the nucleus and binds to cGAS to prevent its nuclear export — preventing cGAS-dependent production of cytosolic cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs), such as cGAMP, that activate STING. Second, uncleaved HO-1, which retains its transmembrane domain, remains at the ER and directly interacts with STING to prevent its oligomerization, ER lumen curvature, and interaction with TBK1, impeding downstream signaling from STING. Together, these effects reduce the amount of intracellular CDN production and IFN-I secretion, limiting the delivery of these key immunostimulatory molecules to DCs and other cells within the tumor microenvironment. Wen et al. (10) discovered that RT induces the expression of YTHDF1 through IFN-I:IFNAR–dependent STAT2 activation, which directly binds to the Ythdf1 promoter to promote YTHDF1 transcription in DCs. YTHDF1 then binds to cathepsin mRNA to support its translation, leading to an overall increase in cathepsin expression and presence in lysosomes. STING activation, elicited by either engulfed cancer cell DNA recognized by cGAS or through import of extracellular CDNs, leads to the oligomerization of STING and production of vesicles from which productive STING signaling occurs. These vesicles are degraded by cathepsins in lysosomes, attenuating STING signaling. Ultimately, cancer cell and DC-intrinsic STING signaling can induce DC maturation/activation that leads to priming of tumor antigen–specific CD8+ T cells by DCs that recognize and kill cancer cells. Both HO-1 and YTHDF1 impair DC maturation, cross-presentation, and/or antitumor T cell immunity after radiation.

Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

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