Protocadherin 9 inhibits epithelial–mesenchymal transition and cell migration through activating GSK-3β in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Hui Zhuang
Pengfei Zhu
Jun Lv
Ling Zhang
Limei Guo
Fengmin Lu
Meng Li
Ziwei Yang
Wenling Han
Xiangmei Chen
Journal: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (2014)
Discipline: BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
Keywords: EMT; GSK-3β; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Protocadherin 9; Tumor suppressor gene.
Affiliations: Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China., Department of Infectious Disease, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China., Department of Pathology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China., Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, China., Peking University Center for Human Disease Genomics, Department of Immunology, Key Laboratory of Medical Immunology, Ministry of Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China., Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China. Electronic address: .

Abstract:  Protocadherin 9 (PCDH9) was found frequently lost in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here we investigated the role of PCDH9 in the development of HCC. We confirmed that PCDH9 was down-regulated in HCC tissues and cell lines compared with the adjacent non-tumor tissues. PCDH9 downregulation was significantly associated with malignant portal vein invasion of HCC patients. Gain- and loss-of-function studies revealed that downregulation of PCDH9 facilitated tumor cell migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We identified PCDH9 as a novel regulator of EMT by increasing the activity of GSK-3β and inhibiting Snail1, indicating its potential therapeutic value for reducing metastasis of HCC. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 This paper is puzzling. Some notations are not explained at the very beginning. For example, when introducing the comparison of two PLEs on right column of Page2517, the terms $L_1$ and $L_2$ are not explained. ![file] When introducing the operations of PLTSs on the left column of Page 2518, the term $$L_1^{(k)}p_1^{(k)}oplus L_2^{(k)}p_2^{(k)}$$ is not well defined. It is not clear that the term $$ L_1^{(k)}p_1^{(k)}$$ is a single value or a combination of two terms. Either case would lead to unreasonable consequences. ![file] , 
 Hello sir, Thanks for you attenetion to this paper. Here are my replies: 1.The terms L1 and L2 are linguistic terms without probabilisties, such s1 or s2. 2. Because this paper is mainly focused on the projection model, so the operational law of PLTS is simply introduced here, if you are interested in it, you can refer to the references which are mainly focused on the operational laws. As for you said that it will led to unresonable consequences, it would be more convincing if you can provide a more powerful and stronger argument, or it is even better to provide a more reasonable method. , 
 #2 Dear Xiaofang Zhang, Thank you very much for your reply. Please see the comment on https: pubpeer.com publications 25428DE14D9415A39A6DB0A05E5379 ,