Analysis of human cGAS activity and structure
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Flow Cytometric Analysis of Natural Killer Cell Lytic Activity in Human Whole Blood
Published on: March 17, 2017
Wen Zhou1, Aaron T Whiteley1, Philip J Kranzusch2
1Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States.
Abstract:
Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) is an innate immune system enzyme responsible for recognition of double-stranded DNA aberrantly localized in the cell cytosol. cGAS binds DNA and is activated to catalyze production of the nucleotide second messenger 2'-5'/3'-5' cyclic GMP-AMP (2'3' cGAMP). In spite of a major role for cGAS in the cellular immune response, a complete understanding of cGAS biology has been limited by a lack of genetic tools to rapidly screen cGAS activity, instability of human cGAS-DNA interactions in vitro, and a previous absence of structural information for the human cGAS-DNA complex. Here we detail procedures to map the molecular determinants of cGAS activation and describe methods developed to prepare human cGAS-DNA crystals for structural analysis. Together with earlier systems established to study mammalian homologs of cGAS, these innovations provide a foundation to understand and therapeutically target human cGAS biology.
More Related Videos
15:05Deciphering the Structural Effects of Activating EGFR Somatic Mutations with Molecular Dynamics Simulation
Published on: May 20, 2020
05:22Author Spotlight: Characterizing DNA Replication of Pathogenic Repeats to Uncover Mechanisms of Replication Fork Stalling and Expansion
Published on: September 13, 2024
Related Concept Videos
Structure-Activity Relationships and Drug Design
SAR studies the intricate relationship between a drug's chemical structure and biological activity. It focuses on understanding how modifications to a drug's structure can influence...
Cholinergic Antagonists: Chemistry and Structure-Activity Relationship
Adrenergic Agonists: Chemistry and Structure-Activity Relationship
Aromatic ring substitutions: Substituting the aromatic ring with –OH groups at positions 3 and 4 yields catecholamines (e.g., epinephrine), which have a high affinity for adrenoceptors. Hydrogen bonding between –OH groups and receptors enhances adrenergic activity.
Separation of...
Local Anesthetics: Chemistry and Structure-Activity Relationship
Structural Organization of the Human Body: An Overview
To study the chemical level of organization, scientists consider the simplest building blocks of matter: subatomic particles, atoms, and molecules. All matter in the universe is composed of one or more unique pure substances called elements, familiar examples of...
Direct-Acting Cholinergic Agonists: Chemistry and Structure-Activity Relationship
The direct-acting...