STING1 and infection: Emerging evidence demonstrates that infection-induced ALI is mediated through the neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs)-cGAS-STING axis, where NETs trigger STING activation in both neutrophils and pulmonary epithelial cells [164,169,170]; autophagy impairment in lung cells promotes mtDNA release, amplifying STING signaling [126,171].