Taking the STING out of radiotherapy: STING checkpoints mediate radiation resistance

The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase/stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS/STING) pathway is a critical driver of type I interferon (IFN-I) and antitumor CD8+ T cell responses after radiotherapy (RT). In this issue of the JCI, two reports describe mechanisms that restrained STING signaling and abrogated antitumor immunity after RT. Wen, Wang, and colleagues discovered that IFN-I mediated the induction of YTHDF1, an RNA N6-methyladenosine-binding protein, in DCs after RT promoted cathepsin-mediated STING degradation. Zhang, Deng, Wu, and colleagues discovered that hemeoxygenase 1 (HO-1) was induced and proteolytically cleaved after RT to suppress cGAS cytoplasmic export as well as STING oligomerization at the ER. Blocking the STING-suppressive functions of YTHDF1 and HO-1, respectively, improved antitumor T cell immunity and tumor control after RT. Together, these studies support the development of clinical avenues to sustain STING signaling during RT, a standard treatment for approximately 50% of malignancies.