The cGAS/STING Pathway Detects Streptococcus pneumoniae but Appears Dispensable for Antipneumococcal Defense in Mice and Humans.

ABSTRACT: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a frequent colonizer of the upper respiratory tract and a leading cause of bacterial pneumonia. The innate immune system senses pneumococcal cell wall components, toxin, and nucleic acids, which leads to production of inflammatory mediators to initiate and control antibacterial defense. Here, we show that the cGAS (cyclic GMP-AMP [cGAMP] synthase)-STING pathway mediates detection of pneumococcal DNA in mouse macrophages to primarily stimulate type I interferon (IFN) responses. Cells of human individuals carrying HAQ TMEM173, which encodes a common hypomorphic variant of STING, were largely or partly defective in inducing type I IFNs and proinflammatory cytokines upon infection. Subsequent analyses, however, revealed that STING was dispensable for r

SUBMITTER: Ruiz-Moreno JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5820968 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature