Go to JCI Insight
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • By specialty
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Immunology
    • Metabolism
    • Nephrology
    • Neuroscience
    • Oncology
    • Pulmonology
    • Vascular biology
    • All ...
  • Videos
    • ASCI Milestone Awards
    • Video Abstracts
    • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
  • Reviews
    • View all reviews ...
    • The cGAS-STING pathway: DNA sensing in health and disease (Jun 2026)
    • Neurodegeneration (Mar 2026)
    • Clinical innovation and scientific progress in GLP-1 medicine (Nov 2025)
    • Pancreatic Cancer (Jul 2025)
    • Complement Biology and Therapeutics (May 2025)
    • Evolving insights into MASLD and MASH pathogenesis and treatment (Apr 2025)
    • Microbiome in Health and Disease (Feb 2025)
    • View all review series ...
  • Viewpoint
  • Collections
    • In-Press Preview
    • Clinical Research and Public Health
    • Research Letters
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Editorials
    • Commentaries
    • Editor's notes
    • Reviews
    • Viewpoints
    • 100th anniversary
    • Top read articles

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Specialties
  • Reviews
  • Review series
  • ASCI Milestone Awards
  • Video Abstracts
  • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
  • In-Press Preview
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Research Letters
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Editorials
  • Commentaries
  • Editor's notes
  • Reviews
  • Viewpoints
  • 100th anniversary
  • Top read articles
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact

Usage Information

HO-1 impairs the efficacy of radiotherapy by redistributing cGAS and STING in tumors
Chuqing Zhang, Zhenji Deng, Jiawei Wu, Cong Ding, Zhe Li, Zhimin Xu, Weipeng Chen, Kaibin Yang, Hanmiao Wei, Tingxiang He, Liufen Long, Jun Ma, Cheng Xu, Xiaoyu Liang
Chuqing Zhang, Zhenji Deng, Jiawei Wu, Cong Ding, Zhe Li, Zhimin Xu, Weipeng Chen, Kaibin Yang, Hanmiao Wei, Tingxiang He, Liufen Long, Jun Ma, Cheng Xu, Xiaoyu Liang
View: Text | PDF
Research Article Immunology Oncology

HO-1 impairs the efficacy of radiotherapy by redistributing cGAS and STING in tumors

  • Text
  • PDF
Abstract

Type I IFNs (IFN-Is) induced by radiotherapy (RT) are critical for its efficacy, while the mechanism by which tumor cells inhibit IFN-I production remains largely unsolved. By an unbiased CRISPR screen, we identified hemeoxygenase 1 (HO-1) as an RT-related regulator of IFN-I production. Mechanistically, the ER-anchored, full-length HO-1 disrupted stimulator of IFN genes (STING) polymerization and subsequent coat protein complex II–mediated (COPII-mediated) ER-Golgi transportation, leading to hampered activation of downstream signaling. This process was exacerbated by the upregulation of HO-1 expression under RT. Importantly, RT also induced HO-1 cleavage. Cleaved HO-1 underwent nuclear translocation, interacted with cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS), and inhibited its nuclear export upon irradiation, leading to suppressed 2′3′-cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) production. Furthermore, we revealed that HO-1 inhibitors could enhance local and distant tumor control of RT in vivo. Clinically, higher HO-1 expression was associated with a poorer prognosis and earlier tumor relapse after RT in multiple types of patient tumors. Collectively, through comprehensive inhibition of the cGAS/STING pathway, HO-1 strongly inhibited RT-induced IFN-I production, and targeting HO-1 was shown to be a promising RT-sensitizing therapeutic strategy.

Authors

Chuqing Zhang, Zhenji Deng, Jiawei Wu, Cong Ding, Zhe Li, Zhimin Xu, Weipeng Chen, Kaibin Yang, Hanmiao Wei, Tingxiang He, Liufen Long, Jun Ma, Cheng Xu, Xiaoyu Liang

×

Usage data is cumulative from June 2025 through June 2026.

Usage JCI PMC
Text version 2,061 873
PDF 369 256
Figure 1,061 2
Supplemental data 399 145
Citation downloads 163 0
Totals 4,053 1,276
Total Views 5,329

Usage information is collected from two different sources: this site (JCI) and Pubmed Central (PMC). JCI information (compiled daily) shows human readership based on methods we employ to screen out robotic usage. PMC information (aggregated monthly) is also similarly screened of robotic usage.

Various methods are used to distinguish robotic usage. For example, Google automatically scans articles to add to its search index and identifies itself as robotic; other services might not clearly identify themselves as robotic, or they are new or unknown as robotic. Because this activity can be misinterpreted as human readership, data may be re-processed periodically to reflect an improved understanding of robotic activity. Because of these factors, readers should consider usage information illustrative but subject to change.

Advertisement

Copyright © 2026 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

Sign up for email alerts