Zhijian “James” Chen - The Dark Side of DNA - How the Immune System Senses DNA as a Danger Signal

Professor Chen briefly introduced the discovery of cGAS, an intracellular DNA receptor, and the signal transduction of the cGAS-STING pathway. Abnormalities in this pathway may lead to autoimmune diseases, such as Aicardi-Goutières Syndrome (AGS), which is associated with mutations in the DNA exonuclease Trex1. Chen's team confirmed the hypothesis in a Trex1-deficient mouse model, suggesting that cGAS is a therapeutic target for AGS and possibly other autoimmune diseases. The Chen lab also revealed the immune mechanism of bacteria against phage infection by analyzing cGAS-like proteins in prokaryotes.