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Updated: May 29, 2026

Stimulation of Cytoplasmic DNA Sensing Pathways In Vitro and In Vivo
Published on: September 18, 2014
Cytosolic DNA sensors regulating type I interferon induction
Sinead E Keating1, Marcin Baran, Andrew G Bowie
1School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Abstract:
Type I interferon (IFN) induction is a crucial anti-pathogen response mediated by innate immune stimulation. Although it has been appreciated for some time that the presence of pathogen DNA within a cell leads to a type I IFN response, it is only in the past few years that some of the key signalling proteins and DNA sensors that regulate this response have been uncovered. Here, we review the nature of these DNA sensors, which include a new family of pattern recognition receptors termed the AIM2-like receptors, and consider the implications of their discovery for understanding emerging principles of innate immune DNA sensing. Furthermore, we discuss how their discovery provides a rationale as to why accumulation of self-DNA mediates IFN-dependent autoimmunity.
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