Long non-coding RNA OR3A4 is associated with poor prognosis of human non-small cell lung cancer and regulates cell proliferation via up-regulating SOX4
Authors: W-L Wang
M Zhong
D-J Yu
Journal: European review for medical and pharmacological sciences (2019)
Discipline: PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY
Keywords: lncRNA; OR3A4; NSCLC; cell proliferation; cell apoptosis
Affiliations: Department of Respiratory, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China. .

Abstract:  Objective: Recent studies have uncovered that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a crucial role in the progression of malignant tumors. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a common type of fatal cancer worldwide. The aim of this study was to identify the specific function of lncRNA OR3A4 in the progression of NSCLC, and to explore the possible underlying mechanism. Patients and methods: LncRNA OR3A4 expression in 52-paired NSCLC tissues and adjacent normal tissues was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cell proliferation assay and cell apoptosis assay were used to investigate the function of OR3A4 in NSCLC. Furthermore, the underlying mechanism was explored by qRT-PCR and Western blot assay. Results: OR3A4 expression was remarkably upregulated in NSCLC tissues when compared with adjacent normal tissues. The overall survival of NSCLC patients in high OR3A4 expression group was significantly worse than those in low OR3A4 expression group. After the silence of OR3A4, the proliferation of NSCLC cells was significantly inhibited. Besides, the apoptosis of NSCLC cells was remarkably promoted after the silence of OR3A4. Meanwhile, knockdown of OR3A4 significantly down-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of SOX4 in NSCLC cells. Furthermore, the expression of SOX4 was found upregulated in both NSCLC tissues and cells. Conclusions: These above results suggested that OR3A4 could promote cell proliferation and suppress cell apoptosis in NSCLC through up-regulating SOX4. Our findings demonstrated that OR3A4 might serve as a new therapeutic intervention for NSCLC patients. 

Retracted: Yes

PubPeer comments:
 This paper is one of a set of 121 papers that all contain images from the same library of about 100 photos and plots. This is unexpected, because each paper has different authors and different affiliations, with little to no overlap, and describes different cancer types and molecules. It would be very hard to explain how authors from different labs would all obtain the same photo. Therefore, the papers might have all be derived from the same source, such as a paper mill that sells ready-to-be-published papers. This  Stock Photo paper set has been described in more detail on my blog post, https: scienceintegritydigest.com 2020 07 05 the-stock-photo-paper-mill and in a Wall Street Journal article by Eva Xiao (currently behind a paywall): https: www.wsj.com articles chinese-research-papers-raise-doubts-fueling-global-questions-about-scientific-integrity-11593939600 The vast majority (113 121) of the papers were published in the same journal, European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences (ERMPS). A link to the full set of papers can be found here: https: docs.google.com spreadsheets d 172RWS18w1lTNJ9Nnj80fuXXTqTm4fGkoK0sdYyvKE3g edit?usp=sharing All papers have been reported to the journal editors on July 2, 2020. , 
 Withdrawn [February 2021] .  Since this article has been suspected of research misconduct and the corresponding authors did not respond to our request to prove originality of data and figures, u201cLong non-coding RNA OR3A4 is associated with poor prognosis of human non-small cell lung cancer and regulates cell proliferation via up-regulating SOX4, by M. Zhong, W.-L. Wang, D.-J. Yu, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (15): 6524-6530u2013DOI: 10.26355 eurrev_201908_18537u2013PMID: 31378892u201d has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. ,