Research Progress and Mechanism of cGAS-STING Pathway in Tumor Immunotherapy

The cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate(GMP-AMP) synthase(cGAS protein)- stimulator of interferon genes(STING protein)(cGAS-STING) signaling pathway is a crucial pathway for recognizing abnormal DNA in the cytoplasm and activating the innate immune response system. After recognizing abnormal DNA in the cytoplasm, cGAS protein can catalyze the synthesis of cyclic guanosine diphosphate adenosine(cyclic GMP-AMP, cGAMP) from adenosine triphosphate(ATP) and guanosine triphosphate(GTP). cGAMP, as a second messenger, activates the stimulator of interferon gene(STING protein), promoting the release of type I interferons and thus initiating a series of immune responses. The cGAS-STING pathway can regulate tumor metastasis and growth, participate in anti-tumor innate immune responses, and exploring the mechanism of action of the cGAS-STING pathway is of great significance in tumor immunotherapy. This review introduces the mechanism of action of the cGAS-STING pathway and summarizes various strategies currently used to activate the cGAS-STING pathway in anti-tumor immunotherapy.