Microglial STING is a central safeguard against neurological decline with age
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Functional decline of the central nervous system (CNS) is driven by the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and attendant inflammation, all hallmarks of age-related neurodegeneration. Despite intense interest in how the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway impacts neurodegenerative processes in aging, its role in shaping these features of CNS fate during physiological aging remains unclear. Here, using physiologically aged mice, we uncovered an unexpected but vital role for STING in preserving CNS function. We find that STING deficiency exacerbates neurological decline through BBB breakdown, microhemorrhages, and neuromotor deficits. Furthermore, STING deficiency leads to an accrual of neuronal DNA damage and alters CNS proinflammatory, type I interferon, and senescence signatures. Cumulatively, these changes lead to a transformation in microglia phenotypes and transcriptomes. Finally, microglial-STING expression is sufficient to elicit protection against age-associated changes in the CNS and highlights the mechanistic basis for STING-dependent protective mechanisms within the aging brain.
Source: Cell Reports
Institutions: Tufts University, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Language: English
Subfield: Neurology
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,620
Funders: Arthritis National Research Foundation, Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, Tufts University, National Institutes of Health, Center for Neuroscience Research, National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NHLBI Division of Intramural Research, Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Padova
OpenAlex ID: W4410877622