IMMUNOLOGY2026™ Conference Recordings For Attendees-Structural and biological bases of cGAS bending bubble DNA to form a hyperactive dimer

Structural and biological bases of cGAS bending bubble DNA to form a hyperactive dimer

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Video Summary

The talk described how “bubble DNA” (double-stranded DNA with an internal unpaired region) affects the cGAS-STING immune pathway. Compared with fully matched DNA, bubble DNA bound cGAS more strongly, activated cGAS-STING signaling more robustly, and produced higher type I interferon responses in macrophages. This effect was confirmed in both linear and circular DNA and required cGAS and STING. In mitochondrial DNA, blocking the D-loop reduced interferon signaling, suggesting structure matters more than DNA amount. Cryo-EM showed cGAS bends bubble DNA into a V-shape, using the bubble as a flexible hinge.

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Date April 16, 2026 4:21 PM - 4:33 PM

Room 156

Session Pathogen Sensing and Innate Immune Responses

Speaker Shuangshuang Yang

Track Innate Immune Responses and Host Defense: Molecular Mechanisms (INM)

Year 2026

Keywords

bubble DNA

cGAS-STING

type I interferon

mitochondrial DNA

cryo-EM

April 16, 2026 4:21 PM - 4:33 PM

156

Pathogen Sensing and Innate Immune Responses

Shuangshuang Yang

Innate Immune Responses and Host Defense: Molecular Mechanisms (INM)

2026