Disabled-1 is down-regulated in clinical breast cancer and regulates cell apoptosis through NF-κB/Bcl-2/caspase-9
Authors: Shu-Sen Cui
Qiang Li
Wan-Ying Xing
Shuang Du
Rang-Juan Cao
Xiao-Juan Zhu
Kai Li
Journal: Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (2019)
Discipline: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY & GENETICS
Keywords: NF-κB; breast cancer; cell apoptosis; clinical prognosis; disabled-1.
Affiliations: Department of Hand Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China., Department of Anesthesia, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China., Department of Breast Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China., Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Genetics and Cytology, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.

Abstract:  Disabled-1 (Dab1) is best known as an adaptor protein regulating neuron migration and lamination during development. However, the exact function of Dab1 in breast cancer is unknown. In this study, we examined the expression of Dab1 in 38 breast cancer paraffin sections, as well as 60 paired frozen breast cancer and their adjacent tissues. Our results showed that Dab1 was reduced in breast cancer, and its compromised expression correlated with triple negative breast cancer phenotype, poor differentiation, as well as lymph node metastasis. Functional analysis in breast cancer cell lines demonstrated that Dab1 promoted cell apoptosis, which, at least partially, depended on its regulation of NF-κB/Bcl-2/caspase-9 pathway. Our study strongly suggests that Dab1 may be a potential tumour suppressor gene in breast cancer. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 A closer look at Figure 1C is enough to be suspicious regarding this article. Areas of the micrograph have been duplicated, indicating that it is artificial. The images of tumors in Figure 2F and Figure 5A also gives the same impression, with the perfect background. The Western blot of CD63 in Figure 1E is highly questionable. Western blots of CD63 have a smeared appearance, never a straight band like it is presented here. In general, the Western blots are suspicious with blurry bands and lack of background noise, typically for papermill products. I am also wondering why serious publishers accept non-institutional e-mail accounts. Doing that is to ask for trouble. ![file] , 
 Figure 1C: some patterns in a micrograph have been duplicated. Figure 5A and 2F: the presented images of tumors look unusual, with no background noise and a homogenous edge of the tumors. Figure 1E: The western immunoblot of CD63 does not have the typical smared appearence, indicating that it is not CD63. ![file] , 
 #2 The diagonal moire effect on the tumor images creates the impression that they were old-fashioned printed hard-copies, at some point before they were cut out, positioned on a grey background, and provided with digital shadows. ![file] ![file] , 
 miR-122 is not a macrophage miRNA. It is a hepatocyte miRNA, one of the most cell-specific miRNAs known. Detection of miR-122 in cultured cells is almost certainly a result of contamination from culture medium components. These include serum, but other components may also have miR-122 because of exposure to serum at some time. ,