Inside Job: Viruses Transfer cGAMP between Cells

Cell Host Microbe. 2015 Sep 9;18(3):263-5. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2015.08.008.

Abstract

The DNA sensor, cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS), is essential for the detection of viral infection. In a recent issue of Science, two studies, Bridgeman et al. (2015) and Gentili et al. (2015), report a novel mechanism for propagating an antiviral signal between cells, based on the transfer of the cGAS enzymatic product, cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP), in viral particles.

Publication types

  • Comment

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Dendritic Cells / immunology*
  • HIV Infections / immunology*
  • HIV-1 / metabolism*
  • Herpes Simplex / immunology*
  • Herpesviridae Infections / immunology*
  • Herpesvirus 1, Human / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Innate / immunology*
  • Interferon-beta / immunology*
  • Muromegalovirus / metabolism*
  • Nucleotides, Cyclic / metabolism*
  • Second Messenger Systems*
  • Vaccinia / immunology*
  • Vaccinia virus / metabolism*
  • Virion / metabolism*

Substances

  • Nucleotides, Cyclic
  • Interferon-beta