Dysfunction in Ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM), a central component of the DNA repair machinery, results in Ataxia Telangiectasia (AT), a cancer-prone disease with a variety of inflammatory manifestations. By analyzing AT patient samples and Atm(-/-) mice, we found that unrepaired DNA lesions induce type I interferons (IFNs), resulting in enhanced anti-viral and anti-bacterial responses in Atm(-/-) mice. Priming of the type I interferon system by DNA damage involved release of DNA into the cytoplasm where it activated the cytosolic DNA sensing STING-mediated pathway, which in turn enhanced responses to innate stimuli by activating the expression of Toll-like receptors, RIG-I-like receptors, cytoplasmic DNA sensors, and their downstream signaling partners. This study provides a potential explanation for the inflammatory phenotype of AT patients and establishes damaged DNA as a cell intrinsic danger signal that primes the innate immune system for a rapid and amplified response to microbial and environmental threats.

Type I IFN is a major player in innate and adaptive immune responses. Besides, it is involved in organogenesis and tumor development. Generally, IFN responses are amplified by an autocrine loop with IFN-β as the priming cytokine. However, due to the lack of sensitive detection systems, where and how type I IFN is produced in vivo is still poorly understood. In this study, we describe a luciferase reporter mouse, which allows tracking of IFN-β gene induction in vivo. Using this reporter mouse, we reveal strong tissue-specific induction of IFN-β following infection with influenza or La Crosse virus. Importantly, this reporter mouse also allowed us to visualize that IFN-β is expressed constitutively in several tissues. As suggested before, low amounts of constitutively produced IFN might maintain immune cells in an activated state ready for a timely response to pathogens. Interestingly, thymic epithelial cells were the major source of IFN-β under noninflammatory conditions. This relatively high constitutive expression was controlled by the NF Aire and might influence induction of tolerance or T cell development.

DNA repair via homologous recombination (HR) is indispensable for genome integrity and cell survival but if unrestrained can result in undesired chromosomal rearrangements. The regulatory mechanisms of HR are not fully understood. Cyclic GMP‐AMP synthase (cGAS) is best known as a cytosolic innate immune sensor critical for the outcome of infections, inflammatory diseases, and cancer. Here, we report that cGAS is primarily a chromatin‐bound protein that inhibits DNA repair by HR, thereby accelerating genome destabilization, micronucleus generation, and cell death under conditions of genomic stress. This function is independent of the canonical STING‐dependent innate immune activation and is physiologically relevant for irradiation‐induced depletion of bone marrow cells in mice. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that inhibition of HR repair by cGAS is linked to its ability to self‐oligomerize, causing compaction of bound template dsDNA into a higher‐ordered state less amenable to strand invasion by RAD51‐coated ssDNA filaments. This previously unknown role of cGAS has implications for understanding its involvement in genome instability‐associated disorders including cancer.