Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40121343›Full record

ArticleCommunications chemistry2025

Structural insight into the cGAS active site explains differences between therapeutically relevant species.

Alexander M Skeldon, Li Wang, Nicolas Sgarioto, Ramsay E Beveridge, Silas Chan, Stephane Dorich, Valerie Dumais, Nadine Fradet, Samuel Gaudreault, Philippe LeGros and 14 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Communications chemistry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Extracellular cGAMP in health and disease.Molecular biomedicine · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

24 authors.

Alexander M SkeldonVentus Therapeutics, Saint-Laurent, QC, Canada.
Li WangVentus Therapeutics, Waltham, MA, USA.
Nicolas SgariotoVentus Therapeutics, Saint-Laurent, QC, Canada.
Ramsay E BeveridgeVentus Therapeutics, Saint-Laurent, QC, Canada.
Silas ChanVentus Therapeutics, Saint-Laurent, QC, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-8326-4227
Stephane DorichVentus Therapeutics, Saint-Laurent, QC, Canada.
Valerie DumaisVentus Therapeutics, Saint-Laurent, QC, Canada.
Nadine FradetVentus Therapeutics, Saint-Laurent, QC, Canada.
Samuel GaudreaultVentus Therapeutics, Saint-Laurent, QC, Canada.
Philippe LeGrosVentus Therapeutics, Saint-Laurent, QC, Canada.
Daniel McKayVentus Therapeutics, Saint-Laurent, QC, Canada.
Ria SeliniotakisVentus Therapeutics, Saint-Laurent, QC, Canada.
Daniel V SietsemaVentus Therapeutics, Waltham, MA, USA.
Lingling ZhangVentus Therapeutics, Waltham, MA, USA.
Marc-Olivier BoilyVentus Therapeutics, Saint-Laurent, QC, Canada.
Jason D BurchVentus Therapeutics, Saint-Laurent, QC, Canada.
Alex CaronVentus Therapeutics, Saint-Laurent, QC, Canada.
Lee D FaderVentus Therapeutics, Saint-Laurent, QC, Canada.
Lodoe LamaLaboratory for RNA Molecular Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.
Wei XieStructural Biology Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4550-6211
Dinshaw J PatelStructural Biology Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9779-7778
Thomas TuschlLaboratory for RNA Molecular Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6483-5678
Michael A CrackowerVentus Therapeutics, Waltham, MA, USA.
Kelly A PikeVentus Therapeutics, Saint-Laurent, QC, Canada. kpike@ventustx.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3829-9661

Funding

X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHYP30CA008748 · NCI · SLOAN-KETTERING INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RES · PI Hongbiao Carl Lekaye · 1985 to 2026
$347.4M
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA008748
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) is an intracellular sensor of double-stranded DNA that triggers a pro-inflammatory response upon binding. The interest in cGAS as a drug discovery target has increased substantially over the past decade due to growing evidence linking its activation to numerous peripheral and neurological diseases. Here, we report the binding mode of previously described cGAS inhibitors while also uncovering the structural basis for the interspecies potency shifts within this chemotype. A single threonine to isoleucine substitution between human and mouse cGAS drives compound activity, as demonstrated by biochemical, cellular, and in vivo studies. Finally, we utilize a structurally enabled design approach to engineer a novel chemical inhibitor with excellent potency for both human and mouse enzymes by targeting key interactions within the enzyme active site. Overall, this work provides the framework for rational optimization of cGAS inhibitors and potential preclinical translational strategies.

Identifiers

PMID40121343
PMCPMC11929900

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.