STING in Cancer Immunoediting: Modeling Tumor-Immune Dynamics Throughout Cancer Development

Xiao Zhang; Yan Chen; Xi Liu; Guoli Li; Shuo Zhang; Qi Zhang; Zihan Cui; Minglu Qin; Hans-Uwe Simon; Janoš Terzić; Gordana Kocic; Bojan Polić; Chengliang Yin; Xiaobo Li; Tongsen Zheng; Bing Liu; Yuanyuan Zhu

doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217410

STING in Cancer Immunoediting: Modeling Tumor-Immune Dynamics Throughout Cancer Development

Cancer Lett. 2025 Jan 16:217410. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217410. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Xiao Zhang¹, Yan Chen², Xi Liu³, Guoli Li⁴, Shuo Zhang⁵, Qi Zhang², Zihan Cui², Minglu Qin², Hans-Uwe Simon⁶, Janoš Terzić⁷, Gordana Kocic⁸, Bojan Polić⁹, Chengliang Yin¹⁰, Xiaobo Li¹¹, Tongsen Zheng¹², Bing Liu¹³, Yuanyuan Zhu¹⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 23 Youzheng Street, Nangang District, Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China; Department of Pathology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.
² Department of Pathology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.
³ Department of Cardiology, ordos central hospital, Ordos, China.
⁴ Department of Colorectal and Anal Surgery, Chifeng Municipal Hospital, Chifeng Clinical Medical School of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Chifeng, PR China.
⁵ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 23 Youzheng Street, Nangang District, Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China.
⁶ Institute of Pharmacology, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland; Institute of Biochemistry, Brandenburg Medical School, 16816 Neuruppin, Germany.
⁷ Laboratory for Cancer Research, University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia.
⁸ Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Nis, 18000 Nis, Serbia.
⁹ University of Rijeka Faculty of Medicine.
¹⁰ Faculty of Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau 999078, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹¹ Department of Pathology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹² Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, No.150 Haping Road, Nangang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹³ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 23 Youzheng Street, Nangang District, Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China; School of Stomatology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹⁴ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 23 Youzheng Street, Nangang District, Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China; Department of Pathology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39826670
DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.217410

Abstract

Cancer immunoediting is a dynamic process of tumor-immune system interaction that plays a critical role in cancer development and progression. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of innate signaling pathways possessed by both cancer cells and immune cells in this process. The STING molecule, a pivotal innate immune signaling molecule, mediates DNA-triggered immune responses in both cancer cells and immune cells, modulating the anti-tumor immune response and shaping the efficacy of immunotherapy. Emerging evidence has shown that the activation of STING signaling has dual opposing effects in cancer progression, simultaneously provoking and restricting anti-tumor immunity, and participating in every phase of cancer immunoediting, including immune elimination, equilibrium, and escape. In this review, we elucidate the roles of STING in the process of cancer immunoediting and discuss the dichotomous effects of STING agonists in the cancer immunotherapy response or resistance. A profound understanding of the sophisticated roles of STING signaling pathway in cancer immunoediting would potentially inspire the development of novel cancer therapeutic approaches and overcome the undesirable protumor effects of STING activation.

Keywords: STING; STING agonists; cancer immunoediting; cancer immunotherapy.

Publication types

Review