Authors of a highly cited biology paper in the Journal of Cell Science (JCS) have corrected the data underlying one of the figures.
The 2003 paper, “The transcription factor Slug represses E-cadherin expression and induces epithelial to mesenchymal transitions: a comparison with Snail and E47 repressors,” has been cited 566 times, according to Thomson Reuters Web of Science. One of the authors is the last author on a recent high profile retraction from Nature Genetics, which cost the first author a grant from the European Molecular Biology Organisation.
The correction note tells us a bit more:
There was an error published in J. Cell Sci. 116, 499–511.
For the GST-Snail band-shift assay (right-hand panel) shown in Fig. 2, the incorrect data was inadvertently shown to represent the results of the competition with the 1000-fold unlabeled E-pal wild-type (wt) probe experiment (first lane on the left). Additionally, the indication of the removal of lanes was omitted in the original figure. The correct Fig. 2 is presented below. There are no changes to the figure legend, which is accurate. This error does not affect the conclusions of the study.
The authors apologise to the readers for any confusion that this error might have caused.
One co-author of the corrected paper, Manel Esteller from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) in Barcelona, Spain, is the last author on a 2009 Nature Genetics paper that was retracted earlier this year. That paper, “A TARBP2 mutation in human cancer impairs microRNA processing and DICER1 function,” has been cited 238 times.
The retraction resulted in first author Sonia Melo losing her grant of 50,000 Euros from the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO).
Tilmann Kiessling from EMBO, based in Heidelberg, Germany, informed us that the organisation’s investigation did not include the newly corrected paper, as Melo was not a co-author. He added:
Our investigation focused on those papers which had formed the basis for the application for an installation grant which EMBO withdrew in late February.
We reached out to Amparo Cano, the last author of the JCS paper, who is based at the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain. She told us:
The error with that control line did not affect the interpretation/conclusions of our study…
When asked about whether the mistake would have affected other researchers replicating or building on the work, she responded:
Several publications have replicated and validated the accuracy of our results.
Cano called the correction a “genuine mistake,” adding:
All coauthors are responsible for the error since none of us spotted it before.
Commenters on PubPeer have also questioned figures in two other papers that Cano has co-authored.
One 2003 paper, “Transforming growth factor beta-1 induces snail transcription factor in epithelial cell lines: mechanisms for epithelial mesenchymal transitions,” has been cited 365 times. The other 2008 paper, “Lysyl oxidase-like 2 as a new poor prognosis marker of squamous cell carcinomas,” has been cited 81 times.
When questioned about these comments, Cano said:
We have all the original data that fully support the results shown in our manuscripts, and if required by the editors of those journals we will provide the original data.
We’ve contacted JCS for a comment on the correction, and will update the post with anything else we learn.
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Amaro Cano author on another paper about Slug and Snail.
Biochem J. 2006 Mar 1;394(Pt 2):449-57.
The transcription factors Slug and Snail act as repressors of Claudin-1 expression in epithelial cells.
Martínez-Estrada OM1, Cullerés A, Soriano FX, Peinado H, Bolós V, Martínez FO, Reina M, Cano A, Fabre M, Vilaró S.
Author information
1Departament de Biologia Cellular, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/16232121
Figure 5.
http://i.imgur.com/OGAQKQ5.jpg
Figure 2.
http://s14.postimg.org/ffonff3lt/FIG2.png
PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e36132. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0036132. Epub 2012 May 2.
Characterization of the SNAG and SLUG domains of Snail2 in the repression of E-cadherin and EMT induction: modulation by serine 4 phosphorylation.
Molina-Ortiz P1, Villarejo A, MacPherson M, Santos V, Montes A, Souchelnytskyi S, Portillo F, Cano A.
Author information
1Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (UAM), Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Alberto Sols CSIC-UAM, IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/22567133
Figure 1.
http://s21.postimg.org/8qvkpqj1j/Figure_1_AAA.png
Figure 4B.
http://i.imgur.com/PPc1o13.jpg
Figure 6B.
http://i.imgur.com/lbloW37.jpg
Figure 6E.
http://s28.postimg.org/brq8zay9p/Fig6.png
EMBO J. 2005 Oct 5;24(19):3446-58. Epub 2005 Aug 18.
A molecular role for lysyl oxidase-like 2 enzyme in snail regulation and tumor progression.
Peinado H1, Del Carmen Iglesias-de la Cruz M, Olmeda D, Csiszar K, Fong KS, Vega S, Nieto MA, Cano A, Portillo F.
Author information
1Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Alberto Sols, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Arturo Duperier, Madrid, Spain.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/16096638
Figure 7.
http://i.imgur.com/Y0uxuI6.jpg
J Biol Chem. 2008 Nov 28;283(48):33437-46. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M802016200. Epub 2008 Oct 1.
HMGA2 and Smads co-regulate SNAIL1 expression during induction of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.
Thuault S1, Tan EJ, Peinado H, Cano A, Heldin CH, Moustakas A.
Author information
1Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Box 595 Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, SE-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/18832382
http://i.imgur.com/rzHuoG2.jpg
Manel Esteller (penultimate author) paper also on E47.
EMBO J. 2005 Mar 9;24(5):974-84. Epub 2005 Feb 17.
E47 phosphorylation by p38 MAPK promotes MyoD/E47 association and muscle-specific gene transcription.
Lluís F1, Ballestar E, Suelves M, Esteller M, Muñoz-Cánoves P.
Author information
1Center for Genomic Regulation, Program on Differentiation and Cancer, Barcelona, Spain.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/15719023
Figure 1.
http://i.imgur.com/g1TcsYO.jpg
Figure 2B.
http://i.imgur.com/WWIA8QS.jpg
Figure 3B.
http://i.imgur.com/OtgNbZt.jpg
I think you mean Amparo Cano.
Fixed, thanks.
Penultimate author and epigenetics.
Carcinogenesis. 2006 May;27(5):1081-9. Epub 2005 Dec 24.
Epigenetic silencing of E- and N-cadherins in the stroma of mouse thymic lymphomas.
de Yzaguirre MM1, Hernández JS, Navarro PF, Nieva PL, Herranz M, Fraga MF, Esteller M, Juarranz A, Fernández-Piqueras J.
Author information
1Laboratorio de Genética Molecular Humana, Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049-Madrid, España.
Figure 4.
http://s23.postimg.org/boj116fa3/Fig4.png
Figure 5A.
http://i.imgur.com/N7CZrIy.jpg
Penultimate author and epigenetics.
Oncogene. 2008 Jun 5;27(25):3556-66. doi: 10.1038/sj.onc.1211022. Epub 2008 Jan 28.
Unmasking of epigenetically silenced candidate tumor suppressor genes by removal of methyl-CpG-binding domain proteins.
Lopez-Serra L1, Ballestar E, Ropero S, Setien F, Billard LM, Fraga MF, Lopez-Nieva P, Alaminos M, Guerrero D, Dante R, Esteller M.
Author information
1Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain.
Figure 6.
http://i.imgur.com/wvwJFAE.jpg
Penultimate author and epigenetics.
Oncogene. 2010 Dec 2;29(48):6390-401. doi: 10.1038/onc.2010.361. Epub 2010 Aug 30.
CpG island hypermethylation-associated silencing of non-coding RNAs transcribed from ultraconserved regions in human cancer.
Lujambio A1, Portela A, Liz J, Melo SA, Rossi S, Spizzo R, Croce CM, Calin GA, Esteller M.
Author information
1Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program (PEBC), Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), 08907L’Hospitalet, Barcelona, Spain.
Figure 5a.
http://i.imgur.com/Guo7Meu.jpg
Penultimate author and epigenetics.
Clin Cancer Res. 2008 Dec 15;14(24):8236-43. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-08-0778.
Identification of PMF1 methylation in association with bladder cancer progression.
Aleman A1, Cebrian V, Alvarez M, Lopez V, Orenes E, Lopez-Serra L, Algaba F, Bellmunt J, López-Beltrán A, Gonzalez-Peramato P, Cordon-Cardo C, García J, del Muro JG, Esteller M, Sánchez-Carbayo M.
Author information
1Tumor Markers Group, Molecular Pathology Program, Spanish National Cancer Center, Madrid, Spain.
Figure 1B.
http://i.imgur.com/HwhltCK.jpg
https://pubpeer.com/publications/19088041
Penultimate author and epigenetics.
Cancer Res. 2009 Nov 1;69(21):8447-54. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-09-0551. Epub 2009 Oct 27.
Epigenetic inactivation of the circadian clock gene BMAL1 in hematologic malignancies.
Taniguchi H1, Fernández AF, Setién F, Ropero S, Ballestar E, Villanueva A, Yamamoto H, Imai K, Shinomura Y, Esteller M.
Author information
1Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, l’Hospitalet, and Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Catalonia, Spain.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/19861541
Figure 2B.
http://i.imgur.com/LV8E0SM.jpg
Manel Esteller is the recipient of the 2015 National Prize for Research (Premi Nacional de Recerca 2015):
http://premsa.gencat.cat/pres_fsvp/AppJava/notapremsavw/289943/ca/manel-esteller-lider-mundial-epigenetica-cancer-rep-premi-nacional-recerca-2015-atorgat-pel-govern-lfcri.do
Carcinogenesis. 2006 May;27(5):1081-9. Epub 2005 Dec 24.
Epigenetic silencing of E- and N-cadherins in the stroma of mouse thymic lymphomas.
de Yzaguirre MM1, Hernández JS, Navarro PF, Nieva PL, Herranz M, Fraga MF, Esteller M, Juarranz A, Fernández-Piqueras J.
Author information
1Laboratorio de Genética Molecular Humana, Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049-Madrid, España.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/16377805
2016 correction.
http://carcin.oxfordjournals.org/content/37/6/646.full