ABSTRACT
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is generally susceptible in human beings and multi-organ systems can be involved in EBV infection, such as blood, respiratory, urinary, digestive and nervous systems. EBV infection also plays an important role in the pathogenesis of related tumors, autoimmune diseases and other diseases, posing a great threat to human health. As a DNA virus, EBV can be sensed by DNA recognition receptors to trigger a series of downstream immune responses. A DNA-sensing pathway consists of DNA sensors, adaptor molecules and downstream effector signals. Double-stranded DNA sensors mainly include absent in melanoma 2-like receptors (ALRs) and cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS). Adaptors were mainly stimulator of interferon genes (STING) and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC). Downstream immune responses mainly involve typeⅠIFN, inflammasomes and proinflammatory cytokines. As a double-stranded DNA virus of the Herpesviridae family, EBV triggers complex innate and adaptive immune responses in the host, especially the sensing pathways mediated by a variety of DNA recognition receptors, which play a key role in host immune defense and pathogen immune evasion. This review made the DNA sensor as the clue to comprehensively summarize the progress in the activation, regulatory mechanism and clinical relevance of DNA-sensing pathways in EBV infection in recent years, aiming to achieve a better understanding of the host innate immune responses during EBV infection and provide an immunological basis for the prevention and treatment of EBV infection-related diseases.
ABSTRACT
Innate immune system rapidly detects and responds to viruses at the early stage of viral infection. However,the mechanisms by which the immune system recognizes and eliminates them have not been fully clarified so far. Studies have shown that receptors are the primary tool for cell recognition and detection of viruses, and cyclic GMP-AMP synthase(cGAS)is one of the newly found DNA recognition receptors. cGAS transmits the signal to the downstream protein called STING(stimulator of interferon genes)and mediates the production of type I interferon(IFN-I),thereby to initiates the antiviral immunity of cells. This review briefly introduces the mechanism of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway, in order to provide a theoretical basis for the research and development of new antiviral drugs.