Abstract
The Editor-in-Chief of DNA and Cell Biology officially retracts the article entitled, Downregulation of miR-335-5p by Long Noncoding RNA ZEB1-AS1 in Gastric Cancer Promotes Tumor Proliferation and Invasion by Li-li Zhang, Lan-fang Zhang, Xiao-he Guo, De-zhong Zhang, Fang Yang, and Ying-ying Fan (DNA Cell Biol. (2018;37(1):46–52; doi: 10.1089/dna.2017.3926).
A post on the PubPeer platform 1 raised concerns about the possibility of duplicated images within Figure 4. An independent analysis found that Figure 4D exhibits a matching section across two other images that are identified in the paper as representing different experimental conditions. Additionally, the analysis identified Figure 6G as a composite image. Other features of the text have raised concerns about the originality and authorship of this work.
The Editor-in-Chief of DNA and Cell Biology contacted all authors listed on the paper, asking them to provide original data and uncropped images for Figure 4, as well as an explanation for the cause for the evident composite image in 6G. No communication or other statements were received from any of the listed authors.
Because of the doubts raised with regards to the originality and reliability of the published work, the Editor-in-Chief fully retracts the published article.
The authors were notified of the decision to retract the paper, but no acknowledgment was received.
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