Prior to this study, it was known that interferon regulatory factor-3 (IRF-3), a protein coding gene, contributed to a first line of defense against viral infection by triggering antiviral activity. However the activation of IRF-3 following infection was not fully understood. The study found that an interaction with the protein S6K1 and the signaling adaptor STING is a fundamental regulatory mechanism for IRF3 and, thus, helps trigger antiviral responses.