Cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) synthase (cGAS) is an essential innate immune sensor. Remarkably, in addition to its role in the early detection of pathogenic DNA molecules, cGAS also monitors cellular health through the sensing of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA aberrantly localised to the cell cytoplasm. This central position of cGAS requires tight molecular controls which are only starting to be understood. In this issue of EMBO Reports, Zhao and colleagues (Zhao et al, 2021) describe a novel mechanism switching on DNA sensing, relying on the formation of primary condensates of cGAS and GTPase-activating protein-(SH3 domain)-binding protein 1 (G3BP1).
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