Doctor Andrea Ablasser, virologist Glen Barber and biochemist Zhijian Chen have explained how cells react when DNA appears in their cytoplasm. This is a sign of extreme danger, indicating either a viral infection or damage to the cell – because the genetic material should actually only be found in certain parts of the cell, such as the nucleus and mitochondria.
In 2008, Glen Barber, who conducts research at Ohio State University, described the enzyme STING, which is switched on when DNA appears in the cytoplasm. It then ensures that interferons are formed, which are messenger substances of the immune system that trigger a defense reaction. In 2012, Zhijian Chen from the University of Texas isolated a small molecule called cGAMP, which activates STING. cGAMP, in turn, is formed when the enzyme cGAS comes into contact with DNA in the cytoplasm. Andrea Ablasser, who works at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, characterized cGAMP in detail in 2013. For this, she was awarded the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Young Researcher Prize in 2014.
The elucidation of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway has opened up new approaches for the treatment of cancer and infections, as the Paul Ehrlich Foundation writes. Substances that affect this alarm chain are being tested in vaccine development and as cancer drugs.
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