# STING & PAIN: exploring a viral signaling protein in nociception and neuropathy

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI · 2021 · $445,031

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Pain hypersensitivity is an early symptom of viral infections. While pain usually subsides with the progression of
most infections, in some cases viral infection and antiviral drugs cause painful peripheral neuropathies.
Peripheral sensory neurons are often the first target of viruses and are increasingly recognized as active
components in pathogen detection and defense. As such it should not be surprising to known that sensory
neurons express several singling proteins associated with pathogen recognition, yet very little is known about
the neuronal functions of these proteins. The main goal of this application is to determine if the viral signaling
adaptor protein known as stimulator of interferon genes (STING) in peripheral sensory neurons is mechanistically
linked to pain hypersensitivity and painful peripheral neuropathies. STING is ideally positioned to underly both
symptoms because it has been involved in the detection of abnormal cytosolic DNA delivered by viral pathogens
or leaked from damaged mitochondria, a hallmark of various peripheral neuropathies. Our preliminary studies
demonstrate that STING is express in peripheral nociceptive neurons and its peripheral engagement with specific
agonists induces pain hypersensitivity. Therefore, we hypothesize that STING expression in sensory neurons
drives unconventional neuronal functions leading to pain hypersensitivity, and in maladaptive conditions to
painful peripheral neuropathies. We will test this hypothesis with multiple and unique approaches including the
use of a conditional knockout mouse line with specific suppression of STING in sensory neurons. Aim 1 will
establish the neuronal role of STING in driving pain hypersensitivity as well as changes in neuronal activity,
transcription and release of immune modulators. Aim 2 will explore the role of STING in the development of
peripheral neuropathies and evaluate various STING inhibitors as novel therapeutic approaches. Given that
STING is pivotal to respond to viral infection, detection of mitochondrial dysfunction, and our testing of multiple
drugs with FDA approval or in clinical trials, we expect that this research holds great promise for the adoption
and development of new therapies for pain and potentially viral infection.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10195073
- **Project number:** 1R21NS121946-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
- **Principal Investigator:** Temugin Berta
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $445,031
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-04-15 → 2023-10-14

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10195073

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10195073, STING & PAIN: exploring a viral signaling protein in nociception and neuropathy (1R21NS121946-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10195073. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*