This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Scientists at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered an unexpected role for a key innate immune protein, revealing how it helps regulate cholesterol levels inside cells and influences tumor growth and treatment response. The findings shed new light on how cancer cells rewire their metabolism—and point to potential new strategies for therapy.

The finding appeared Nov. 2, 2026, in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

The protein, called cGAS, is best known as a frontline defender against infections. When harmful DNA appears in the cell's cytoplasm, which is the material that exists between the cell membrane and the nucleus, cGAS detects the DNA and triggers an immune response. This innate immune system is the body's built-in defense system that fights off germs. But this finding shows that cGAS also works inside the nucleus, where it binds to specific regions in the genome and helps control which genes are turned on or off. This nuclear role has been suspected but poorly understood until now.

, associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics at UNC's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. "We've long thought of cGAS as an innate immune sensor, but it can also act as a regulator that controls how genes are copied from DNA to RNA and hence helps control cholesterol and cell metabolism.

Source link