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Zhang J, Yu S, Peng Q, Wang P, Fang L. Emerging mechanisms and implications of cGAS-STING signaling in cancer immunotherapy strategies. Cancer Biol Med 2024; 21:j.issn.2095-3941.2023.0440. [PMID: 38172538 PMCID: PMC10875285 DOI: 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2023.0440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The intricate interplay between the human immune system and cancer development underscores the central role of immunotherapy in cancer treatment. Within this landscape, the innate immune system, a critical sentinel protecting against tumor incursion, is a key player. The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) and stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway has been found to be a linchpin of innate immunity: activation of this signaling pathway orchestrates the production of type I interferon (IFN-α/β), thus fostering the maturation, differentiation, and mobilization of immune effectors in the tumor microenvironment. Furthermore, STING activation facilitates the release and presentation of tumor antigens, and therefore is an attractive target for cancer immunotherapy. Current strategies to activate the STING pathway, including use of pharmacological agonists, have made substantial advancements, particularly when combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors. These approaches have shown promise in preclinical and clinical settings, by enhancing patient survival rates. This review describes the evolving understanding of the cGAS-STING pathway's involvement in tumor biology and therapy. Moreover, this review explores classical and non-classical STING agonists, providing insights into their mechanisms of action and potential for optimizing immunotherapy strategies. Despite challenges and complexities, the cGAS-STING pathway, a promising avenue for enhancing cancer treatment efficacy, has the potential to revolutionize patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawen Zhang
- Tongji University Cancer Center, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200072, China
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Sihui Yu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Qiao Peng
- Tongji University Cancer Center, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Ping Wang
- Tongji University Cancer Center, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200072, China
| | - Lan Fang
- Tongji University Cancer Center, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200072, China
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Zhao K, Huang J, Zhao Y, Wang S, Xu J, Yin K. Targeting STING in cancer: Challenges and emerging opportunities. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2023; 1878:188983. [PMID: 37717857 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2023.188983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling pathway is a key pathway through which the host regulates immune responses by recognizing cytoplasmic double-stranded DNA of abnormal origin, and it plays an important role in tumor growth as well as metastasis, with relevant molecular details constantly being explored and updated. The significant immunomodulatory effects make STING an attractive target for cancer immunotherapy, and STING agonists have been receiving great attention for their development and clinical translation. Despite exciting results in preclinical work, the application of STING agonists to cancer therapy remains challenging due to their poor pharmacokinetic and physicochemical properties, as well as toxic side effects they produce. Here, we summarize the dichotomous role of cGAS-STING in cancer and discuss the limitations of cancer immunotherapy based on STING activation as well as feasible strategies to overcome them to achieve tumor regression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kexin Zhao
- Department of General Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China; Department of Immunology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Jiaojiao Huang
- Department of Immunology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Yue Zhao
- Department of Immunology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Shengjun Wang
- Department of Immunology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China; Department of Laboratory Medicine, the Affiliated People's Hospital, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.
| | - Juan Xu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Taizhou People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou, China.
| | - Kai Yin
- Department of General Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China.
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Wu C, Wang M, Sun J, Jia Y, Zhu X, Liu G, Zhu Y, Guan Y, Zhang Z, Pang X. Peptide-drug co-assembling: A potent armament against cancer. Theranostics 2023; 13:5322-5347. [PMID: 37908727 PMCID: PMC10614680 DOI: 10.7150/thno.87356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is still one of the major problems threatening human health and the therapeutical efficacies of available treatment choices are often rather low. Due to their favorable biocompatibility, simplicity of modification, and improved therapeutic efficacy, peptide-based self-assembled delivery systems have undergone significant evolution. Physical encapsulation and covalent conjugation are two common approaches to load drugs for peptide assembly-based delivery, which are always associated with drug leaks in the blood circulation system or changed pharmacological activities, respectively. To overcome these difficulties, a more elegant peptide-based assembly strategy is desired. Notably, peptide-mediated co-assembly with drug molecules provides a new method for constructing nanomaterials with improved versatility and structural stability. The co-assembly strategy can be used to design various nanostructures for cancer therapy, such as nanotubes, nanofibrils, hydrogels, and nanovesicles. Recently, these co-assembled nanostructures have gained tremendous attention for their unique superiorities in tumor therapy. This article describes the classification of assembled peptides, driving forces for co-assembly, and specifically, the design methodologies for various drug molecules in co-assembly. It also highlights recent research on peptide-mediated co-assembled delivery systems for cancer therapy. Finally, it summarizes the pros and cons of co-assembly in cancer therapy and offers some suggestions for conquering the challenges in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can Wu
- School of Pharmacy, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Manman Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Jinpan Sun
- School of Pharmacy, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Yongyan Jia
- School of Pharmacy, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Xiali Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Gaizhi Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Yanhui Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Yanbin Guan
- School of Pharmacy, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Zhenqiang Zhang
- Academy of Chinese Medicine Science, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China
| | - Xin Pang
- School of Pharmacy, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou 450046, China
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Kumar V, Bauer C, Stewart JH. Targeting cGAS/STING signaling-mediated myeloid immune cell dysfunction in TIME. J Biomed Sci 2023; 30:48. [PMID: 37380989 PMCID: PMC10304357 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-023-00942-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Myeloid immune cells (MICs) are potent innate immune cells serving as first responders to invading pathogens and internal changes to cellular homeostasis. Cancer is a stage of altered cellular homeostasis that can originate in response to different pathogens, chemical carcinogens, and internal genetic/epigenetic changes. MICs express several pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) on their membranes, cytosol, and organelles, recognizing systemic, tissue, and organ-specific altered homeostasis. cGAS/STING signaling is a cytosolic PRR system for identifying cytosolic double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) in a sequence-independent but size-dependent manner. The longer the cytosolic dsDNA size, the stronger the cGAS/STING signaling activation with increased type 1 interferon (IFN) and NF-κB-dependent cytokines and chemokines' generation. The present article discusses tumor-supportive changes occurring in the tumor microenvironment (TME) or tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) MICs, specifically emphasizing cGAS/STING signaling-dependent alteration. The article further discusses utilizing MIC-specific cGAS/STING signaling modulation as critical tumor immunotherapy to alter TIME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijay Kumar
- Department of Interdisciplinary Oncology, Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Science Center (LSUHSC), 1700 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA, 70012, USA.
| | - Caitlin Bauer
- Department of Interdisciplinary Oncology, Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Science Center (LSUHSC), 1700 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA, 70012, USA
| | - John H Stewart
- Department of Interdisciplinary Oncology, Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Science Center (LSUHSC), 1700 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA, 70012, USA.
- Louisiana Children's Medical Center Cancer Center, Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Science Center (LSUHSC), 1700 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA, 70012, USA.
- Surgery, Section of Surgical Oncology, Louisiana State University New Orleans-Louisiana Children's Medical Center Cancer Center, Louisiana State University Health Science Center (LSUHSC), 1700 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA, 70012, USA.
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Ying-Rui M, Bu-Fan B, Deng L, Rong S, Qian-Mei Z. Targeting the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) in breast cancer. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1199152. [PMID: 37448962 PMCID: PMC10338072 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1199152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer has a high occurrence rate globally and its treatment has demonstrated clinical efficacy with the use of systemic chemotherapy and immune checkpoint blockade. Insufficient cytotoxic T lymphocyte infiltration and the accumulation of immunosuppressive cells within tumours are the primary factors responsible for the inadequate clinical effectiveness of breast cancer treatment. The stimulator of interferon genes (STING) represents a pivotal protein in the innate immune response. Upon activation, STING triggers the activation and enhancement of innate and adaptive immune functions, resulting in therapeutic benefits for malignant tumours. The STING signalling pathway in breast cancer is influenced by various factors such as deoxyribonucleic acid damage response, tumour immune microenvironment, and mitochondrial function. The use of STING agonists is gaining momentum in breast cancer research. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate synthase-STING pathway, its agonists, and the latest findings related to their application in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ma Ying-Rui
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Bai Bu-Fan
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Liu Deng
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Shi Rong
- Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhou Qian-Mei
- Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Institute of Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation, Shanghai, China
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