LncRNA nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1 regulates hypoxia-evoked apoptosis and autophagy via mediation of microRNA-181b
Authors: Jun Wang
Jie Yu
Zhaoming Liu
Yanbo Dong
Jiancheng Huang
Ying Lv
Journal: Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry (2020)
Discipline: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY & GENETICS
Keywords: Congenital heart disease; JAK1/STAT3; MicroRNA-181b; Nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1; PI3K/AKT/mTOR.
Affiliations: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhuang, 050031, Hebei, China., Department of Pediatric Surgery, Shijiazhuang Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, No. 9 Jianguo Road, Shijiazhuang, 050051, Hebei, China., Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhuang, 050031, Hebei, China. .

Abstract:  Nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1), a vital long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), exhibits the functions in disparate cancers. Nevertheless, the influences of NEAT1 in congenital heart disease (CHD) remain unreported. The research delves into whether NEAT1 affects H9c2 cells apoptosis and autophagy under the hypoxia condition. Overexpressed NEAT1 vector was transfected into H9c2 cells; then, functions of NEAT1 in cell viability, apoptosis, autophagy, PI3K/AKT/mTOR and JAK1/STAT3 pathways were detected in H9c2 cells under hypoxia condition. Expression of NEAT1 and miR-181b in hypoxia and blood samples from CHD was evaluated. After miR-181b inhibitor transfection, functions of miR-181b repression in the above-mentioned cell behavior and PI3K/AKT/mTOR and JAK1/STAT3 pathways were reassessed. Overexpressed NEAT1 clearly allayed hypoxia-triggered H9c2 cells apoptosis and autophagy. The decreased NEAT1 and miR-181b were showcased in hypoxia and blood samples from CHD; meanwhile, elevated miR-181b evoked by overexpressed NEAT1 was observed in hypoxia-managed H9c2 cells. More importantly, miR-181b inhibition obviously overturned the influences of NEAT1 in hypoxia-affected H9c2 cells apoptosis and autophagy. Besides, overexpressed NEAT1 facilitated PI3K/AKT/mTOR and JAK1/STAT3 activations via enhancing miR-181b. The research exposed that NEAT1 eased hypoxia-triggered H9c2 cells apoptosis and autophagy by expediting PI3K/AKT/mTOR and JAK1/STAT3 pathways via elevating miR-181b. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
  ... [T]he lightest patients might be asymptomatic for all life, while the heaviest patients might sufer from severe symptoms, such as hypoxia, shock or even death at birth [6, 7]. Please compare with [Wang Yuan (2019)] :  The mildest patients can be asymptomatic for life, but severe patients are born with severe symptoms, such as hypoxia, shock, or even death. Just coincidence? Or indicative of a shared actual authorship? , 
 This paper belongs to a set of over 400 papers (as per February 2020) that share very similar Western blots with tadpole-like shaped bands, the same background pattern, and striking similarities in title structures, paper layout, bar graph design, and - in a subset - flow cytometry panels. Despite these similarities, these papers are authored by researchers from different departments and institutes, with almost no overlap in authors. The list of these papers is available here: https: docs.google.com spreadsheets d 1KXqTAyl4j-jVorFPMD2XRpr76LcIKJ0CVyIvRj0exYQ edit?usp=sharing A more detailed description of this set of papers, suspected to all be generated by a common source, a paper mill , can be found here: * https: forbetterscience.com 2020 01 24 the-full-service-paper-mill-and-its-chinese-customers (January 2020) * https: scienceintegritydigest.com 2020 02 21 the-tadpole-paper-mill (February 2020) The same paper mill has been described in these papers: * Jana Christopher - Systematic fabrication of scientific images revealed - FEBS Letters (2018) - https: febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com doi full 10.1002 1873-3468.13201 * Jennifer A Byrne and Jana Christopher - Digital magic, or the dark arts of the 21st centuryu2014how can journals and peer reviewers detect manuscripts and publications from paper mills? - FEBS Letters (2020) - https: febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com doi full 10.1002 1873-3468.13747 ,