STING (green), a membrane protein located on the endoplasmic reticulum (red), rearranges upon activation and triggers cell type-specific death response. Credit: Simone Haag/A. Ablasser/EPFL
EPFL scientists show that the STING signaling pathway, which helps coordinate the innate immune system, causes cell death in T cells of the adaptive immune system. This "killing" effect includes cancerous T cells, and has implications for treating T cell-derived cancers. The cells of the innate immune system use a signaling pathway comprising STING (Stimulator of interferon genes) to detect DNA from invading viruses and fight them. However, it is unknown if STING triggers the same or different responses in cells of the adaptive immune system, such as T cells. EPFL scientists have now shown that T cells have an "unconventional" STING response, which manifests as apoptotic cell death. The work, which may have implications for the treatment T cell-derived malignancies, is published . Innate immune system The innate immune system is our first line of defense, made up of cells that quickly identify pathogens such as DNA from viruses.
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