Xiao et al. identify α-KG as a rosacea-associated metabolite that activates the OXGR1-Gq-MYL9 axis in the vascular smooth muscle cells to boost contractility and suppress pathological vasodilation underlying erythema. Cryo-EM reveals a bipartite-acid pocket of OXGR1 that enables structure-guided development of A-1, a selective agonist that alleviates erythema in rosacea-like models.

Nature, Published online: 11 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10302-3

Author Correction: Gut stem cell necroptosis by genome instability triggers bowel inflammation