The Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC) has retracted two 2003 studies after concluding that figures in the papers had been duplicated, and portions of some figures in one paper “did not accurately represent the results of the experimental conditions.”
The two newly retracted papers have the same last author — Therese Kinsella, a biochemist at the University College Dublin (UCD), who told us the data have been upheld by subsequent research, but that she supports the retractions, which are now part of a UCD investigation.
The retractions will bring up some familiar names: The first author on one of the papers is Sinéad Miggin from Maynooth University in the Republic of Ireland; in 2014, Miggin logged two retractions in the JBC, which triggered an investigation into co-author Aisha Qasim Butt. Last year, Maynooth University revoked Butt’s PhD after she admitted to “falsification and misrepresentation” of data in both studies as well as her PhD thesis. At the time, Miggin and two other researchers were fully exonerated by Maynooth University from “any wrongdoing.”
Butt, however, is not an author of either of the newly retracted papers. Although Butt’s LinkedIn page still lists her as a postdoctoral researcher at UCD, a spokesperson from the institution told us she is no longer based there.
We don’t often see such old papers retracted. Kaoru Sakabe, Manager of Publishing Issues at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, which publishes JBC, told us how this decision came about:
We received a tip from a reader about potential problems with figures in the two papers. We examined the figures and determined that the concerns raised by the reader appeared to be legitimate, so we began an official investigation. In the end, we determined that the papers should be retracted.
Kinsella told us that the science in the two studies that were pulled on September 9, 2016, has been
…fully upheld in subsequent studies.
She added:
The matter of both articles came as a complete surprise to me and will be the subject of a thorough investigation which I am in complete agreement with. I will be fully cooperating with this.
Kinsella went further to explain that the follow-up investigation into the papers is being conducted at her institution. The UCD spokesperson confirmed that the investigation into the papers is underway but has not yet been completed.
When asked why these papers were pulled, Kinsella said the authors could not provide “satisfactory answers” to the journal queries due to the papers being published so long ago. Kinsella, nevertheless, added that she agrees with the retractions since she and her co-authors weren’t able to provide the source material.
Here’s the first retraction notice for “The α, but not the β, isoform of the human thromboxane A2 receptor is a target for nitric oxide-mediated desensitization. INDEPENDENT MODULATION OF TPα SIGNALING BY NITRIC OXIDE AND PROSTACYCLIN:”
This article has been retracted by the publisher. In Fig. 5B, lanes 1 and 3 were duplicated. Fig. 8A did not accurately represent the results of the experimental conditions. In Fig. 8B, lanes 1 and 3 were duplicated, and lanes 4 and 5 did not accurately represent the results of the experimental conditions.
This paper has been cited 51 times, according to Thomson Reuters Web of Science.
And here’s the retraction notice for “Palmitoylation of the human prostacyclin receptor. FUNCTIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF PALMITOYLATION AND ISOPRENYLATION:”
This article has been retracted by the publisher. Analysis by the Journal of Fig. 9A determined that many features had been duplicated in the figure.
This study has garnered 39 citations since publication.
As we reported previously, in 2013, Miggin also issued a correction to a 2007 PNAS paper to fix a figure that “appeared incorrectly.” This paper also doesn’t list Butt as an author.
Both of the newly retracted studies were previously being questioned on PubPeer. To these and other of her papers with entries on PubPeer, Kinsella said:
No remaining issues have been identified in the above listings.
We’ve reached out to Miggin for a comment, and will update the post with anything else we learn.
Like Retraction Watch? Consider making a tax-deductible contribution to support our growth. You can also follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, add us to your RSS reader, sign up on our homepage for an email every time there’s a new post, or subscribe to our daily digest. Click here to review our Comments Policy. For a sneak peek at what we’re working on, click here.
So if every 13-year-old paper in the literature can no longer provide the original data, that is at least grounds fort a prelimineary investigation?
Holy shit!
I think you need to look at the wording of the retraction notices to appreciate what the issues were.
How can you retract the damage?
2017 expression of concern for:
Br J Pharmacol. 2004 May;142(1):203-21. Epub 2004 Apr 20.
EP1- and FP-mediated cross-desensitization of the alpha (alpha) and beta (beta) isoforms of the human thromboxane A2 receptor.
Kelley-Hickie LP1, Kinsella BT.
Author information
1Department of Biochemistry, Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, Merville House, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
2017 expression of concern: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.13680/epdf
“The British Journal of Pharmacology is issuing this Expression of Conce rn to notify readers that f ollowing formal inte rnal inves-tigations, the British Journal of Pharm acology has concluded that duplication is likely to have occurred in figure 11, panels Aand B. Because of the length of time that has passed s ince publicat ion, the authors have be en unable to provide the original blotsandthushavebeenunabletoverifyorrefutetheallegations.Readers are advised to keep this in mind when reading this paper. Thepublication of this Expression of Concern has bee n agreed between the authors, th e Journal Editor in Chief and John Wiley & SonsLimited”
2017 erratum for:
Br J Pharmacol. 2004 Sep;143(2):318-30. Epub 2004 Aug 31.
Investigation of the effect of the farnesyl protein transferase inhibitor R115777 on isoprenylation and intracellular signalling by the prostacyclin receptor.
O’Meara SJ1, Kinsella BT.
Author information
1Department of Biochemistry, Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
2017 erratum.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.13681/epdf
ERRATUMThe British Journal of Pharmacology is publishin g this erratum fo llowing formal internal inve stigations of the Research Paper by O’Meara and Kinsella (2004). During the preparation of Figure 5, lanes 6 in panels b and c w re reordered to align them with lane 6 in panel a, where in all cases, lane 6 corresponded to the RNA control. In carrying out this alignment, an error occurred where part of an adjacent lane in panel 5c was copied over and, hence, was duplicated in error. The authors wish to correct this whereby there is no reordering of the data in panels b or c, as depicted in the corrected version of Figure 5 below.In addition, the legend to Figure 6 incorrectly refers to panels a lane 6, whereas it should correctly refer to panels a-e, lane 5.
2017 corrigendum for
Cell Signal. 2007 May;19(5):1056-70. Epub 2006 Dec 12.
Palmitoylation of the TPbeta isoform of the human thromboxane A2 receptor. Modulation of G protein: effector coupling and modes of receptor internalization.
Reid HM1, Kinsella BT.
Author information
School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Sciences, Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/B472BC5A8B3D2E8F93A72766568844
2017 corrigendum.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0898656817301912?via%3Dihub
2018 correction.
J Biol Chem. 2001 Sep 7;276(36):33596-607. Epub 2001 Jul 6.
Protein kinase A-mediated phosphorylation of serine 357 of the mouse prostacyclin receptor regulates its coupling to G(s)-, to G(i)-, and to G(q)-coupled effector signaling.
Lawler OA1, Miggin SM, Kinsella BT.
Author information
1
Department of Biochemistry, Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, Merville House, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/619F4ECAAC0303165B9379300494A5
2018 correction notice for figure 11.
http://www.jbc.org/content/293/28/11046.short
“During a recent review of this article, the authors realized that there may have been unspecified reordering of lanes in Fig. 11B and possible duplication of lanes 2 between Fig. 11, B and C. As the original data were no longer available, replicate data are provided. This correction does not affect the results or conclusions of this work. The authors wish to apologize for any inconvenience this error may have caused. “
Three 2018 B Therese Kinsella retractions J Biol Chem.
Investigation of the mechanisms of G protein: Effector coupling by the human and mouse prostacyclin receptors. Identification of critical species-dependent differences.
Sinead M. Miggin and B. Therese Kinsella
J. Biol. Chem. 2018 293: 12285. doi:10.1074/jbc.W118.004804
Identification of an interaction between the TPα and TPβ isoforms of the human thromboxane A2 receptor with protein kinase C-related kinase (PRK) 1. Implications for prostate cancer.
Elizebeth C. Turner, David J. Kavanagh, Eamon P. Mulvaney, Caitriona McLean, Katarina Wikström, Helen M. Reid, and B. Therese Kinsella
J. Biol. Chem. 2018 293: 12286. doi:10.1074/jbc.W118.004805
Interaction of the human prostacyclin receptor with Rab11. Characterization of a novel Rab11 binding domain within α-helix 8 that is regulated by palmitoylation.
Helen M. Reid, Eamon P. Mulvaney, Elizebeth C. Turner, and B. Therese Kinsella
J. Biol. Chem. 2018 293: 12287. doi:10.1074/jbc.W118.004807