Viral evasion of cGAS-STING pathway: opportunities for intervention

The cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) synthase (cGAS) and stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway, a crucial component of host innate immunity, detects aberrant DNA during viral infection. It is well established that cGAS-STING signaling activation during viral infections is often insufficient for complete viral clearance, indicating that numerous viruses have evolved countermeasures against this major pathway. However, the precise mechanisms by which viruses antagonize the cGAS-STING pathway to ensure intracellular survival remain incompletely understood. This review synthesizes recent progress in elucidating how diverse RNA and DNA viruses disrupt various stages of cGAS-STING pathway activation. These mechanistic insights into viral evasion have significant implications for the development of targeted therapeutic interventions. Specifically, the precise delivery of small-molecule or peptide-based drugs designed to counteract viral evasion proteins represents a promising direction for future antiviral therapy.