Correction issued for cGAS study in Nature journal
Visual error in scientific paper corrected, conclusions remain unchanged
1Research context
The original 2020 study in Nature examined the nucleosome-mediated inhibition mechanism of cGAS enzyme. This biomedical research represented a significant discovery in understanding immune response regulation. It was a collaborative effort between researchers at Friedrich Miescher Institute in Switzerland and EPFL.
2Identified error
It was noticed that parts of the images in Extended Data Fig. 1d were duplicated. The error concerned specificity controls for antibodies used in PLA assessment of cells treated with Aclarubicin. The cGAS staining image in DMSO control was accidentally repeated.
3Correction process
The team replaced the erroneous image with a correct representative one from original data. The correction was applied to both HTML and PDF versions of the paper. The mistake was confirmed to occur during figure preparation, not data analysis. Springer Nature's editorial standards were followed throughout.
4Research integrity
The correction was emphasized not to affect any data results or conclusions in the paper. The scientific findings remain valid. Such corrections in prestigious journals like Nature are considered important for maintaining academic transparency and rigor in published research.
5Team and collaboration
The study was conducted with equal contributions from Ganesh R. Pathare and Alexiane Decout. It involved interdisciplinary collaboration between Friedrich Miescher Institute in Basel and EPFL's Global Health Institute in Lausanne. Nicolas H. Thomä and Andrea Ablasser served as senior authors.
6Scientific publishing standards
This case highlights the importance of data integrity in academic publishing. Journals like Nature promptly address post-publication errors. The 2026 correction notice was linked to the original DOI, ensuring proper updates to academic records while maintaining the publication's scholarly context.
7Technical details
The evaluation used Proximity Ligation Assay (PLA) to examine Aclarubicin effects. cGAS (cyclic GMP-AMP synthase) acts as a cytosolic DNA sensor crucial for immune responses. Understanding nucleosome interactions holds potential for developing treatments targeting autoimmune diseases.
8Significance for research
This correction underscores the rigor required in data presentation for biomedical studies. Transparent reporting of errors and corrections demonstrates the self-correcting nature of scientific method. The maintained validity of core findings confirms the robustness of the study's methodology.
Original article: Nature — Nature dergisinde cGAS araştırması düzeltmesi