Viral central nervous system (CNS) infections can lead to life threatening encephalitis and long-term neurological deficits in survivors. Resident CNS cell types, such as astrocytes and microglia, are known to produce key inflammatory and antiviral mediators following infection with neurotropic DNA viruses. However, the mechanisms by which glia mediate such responses remain poorly understood. Recently, a class of intracellular pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), collectively known as DNA sensors, have been identified in both leukocytic and non-leukocytic cell types. The ability of such DNA sensors to initiate immune mediator production and contribute to infection resolution in the periphery is increasingly recognized, but our understanding of their role in the CNS remains limited at best. In this review, we describe the evidence for the expression and functionality of DNA sensors in resident brain cells, with a focus on their role in neurotropic virus infections. The available data indicate that glia and neurons can constitutively express, and/or can be induced to express, various disparate DNA sensing molecules previously described in peripheral cell types. Furthermore, multiple lines of investigation suggest that these sensors are functional in resident CNS cells and are required for innate immune responses to viral infections. However, it is less clear whether DNA sensormediated glial responses are beneficial or detrimental, and the answer to this question appears to dependent on the context of the infection with regard to the identity of the pathogen, host cell type, and host species. Defining such parameters will be essential if we are to successfully target these molecules to limit damaging inflammation while allowing beneficial host responses to improve patient outcomes.

病毒中枢神经系统（CNS）感染可导致威胁生命的脑炎和幸存者的长期神经功能缺损。已知中枢神经系统细胞类型，例如星形胶质细胞和小胶质细胞，在感染了嗜神经性DNA病毒后会产生关键的炎症和抗病毒介质。但是，胶质细胞介导这种反应的机制仍然知之甚少。最近，已经在白细胞和非白细胞类型中鉴定出一类共同称为DNA传感器的细胞内模式识别受体（PRR）。此类DNA传感器启动免疫介体产生并促进周围感染解决的能力日益得到认可，但我们对其在CNS中的作用的了解充其量仍然受到限制。在这篇评论中 我们描述了常驻脑细胞中DNA传感器表达和功能的证据，重点是它们在嗜神经病毒感染中的作用。现有数据表明，神经胶质细胞和神经元可以组成性表达和/或被诱导表达先前在外周细胞类型中描述的各种不同的DNA传感分子。此外，多项研究表明，这些传感器在驻留的CNS细胞中具有功能，是对病毒感染的先天免疫反应所必需的。但是，尚不清楚DNA传感器介导的神经胶质反应是有益还是有害，并且这个问题的答案似乎取决于感染的背景，包括病原体的身份，宿主细胞类型和宿主物种。