# cGAS-STING pathway

The cGAS-STING pathway is one of your cells' built-in alarms for danger DNA. The sensor, cGAS (cyclic GMP-AMP synthase), detects double-stranded DNA floating loose in the cell's interior. That is a red flag for viral infection, nuclear damage, or leaked mitochondrial DNA. When it fires, cGAS makes a messenger called cGAMP. cGAMP switches on an adaptor protein called STING (stimulator of interferon genes). STING then drives production of type-I interferons and pro-inflammatory NF-κB genes, mounting a strong immune response. In aging, this pathway gets switched on by the wrong things: micronuclei, stray chromatin from ruptured senescent-cell nuclei, and leaked mitochondrial DNA. That makes cGAS-STING a key amplifier of inflammaging and the SASP. STING-blocking drugs are in early study as possible brakes on age-related inflammation.

## Sources

- Sun et al.. (2013). Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase is a cytosolic DNA sensor that activates the type I interferon pathway. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1232458
- Gulen et al.. (2023). cGAS–STING drives ageing-related inflammation and neurodegeneration. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06373-1

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_Canonical: https://longevity-switzerland.com/en/glossary/cgas-sting · Part of Longevity Cities · Updated 2026-06-22_