Microglial STING is a central safeguard against neurological decline with age

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.

Keywords: CNS; CP: Immunology; CP: Neuroscience; DNA damage; STING; aging; blood-brain barrier; inflammation; innate immunity; microglia; neuro-motor dysfunction; senescence; type 1 interferons.