RETRACTED ARTICLE: LncRNA CTBP1-AS2 sponges miR-216a to upregulate PTEN and suppress endometrial cancer cell invasion and migration
Authors: Xiaolei Liang
Yongxiu Yang
Qing-An-Zi Wang
Journal: Journal of Ovarian Research (2020)
Discipline: BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
Keywords: CTBP1-AS2; Endometrial carcinoma; PTEN; Survival; miR-216a.
Affiliations: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Key Laboratory for Gynecologic Oncology Gansu Province, the First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, 730000, PR China., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Key Laboratory for Gynecologic Oncology Gansu Province, the First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, 730000, PR China. .

Abstract:  Background: Although lncRNA CTBP1-AS2 has been functionally analyzed only in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and diabetes, analysis of TCGA dataset revealed its downregulation in endometrial carcinoma (EC), indicating its involvement in EC. Results: In this study we found that CTBP1-AS2 was downregulated in EC and correlated with poor survival. MiR-216a might form base pairs with CTBP1-AS2 based on RNA-RNA interaction, which was confirmed by luciferase activity assay. Interestingly, upregulation of PTEN was observed after CTBP1-AS2 overexpression. Transwell assay showed that CTBP1-AS2 and PTEN overexpression led to decreased cancer cell invasion and migration and reduced enhancing effects of miR-216a on cell invasion and migration. It was known that miR-216a targeted PTEN. Conclusion: Therefore, CTBP1-AS2 may sponge miR-216a to upregulate PTEN, thereby suppressing endometrial cancer cell invasion and migration. 

Retracted: Yes

PubPeer comments:
 This paper is part of a set of 7 papers that all have the following ethics statement:  *The present study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Maternity and Child Care Center of Liuzhou. The research has been carried out in accordance with the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki. All patients and healthy volunteers provided written informed consent prior to their inclusion within the study.* However, none of these 7 studies were performed at the Liuzhou hospital and none of the authors are affiliated with that hospital. The 7 papers and their affiliations are the following: * Ye Han, Chunying Liu, Ming Lei, Shaosong Sun, Wenkui Zheng, Yanan Niu, Xi Xia, LncRNA TUG1 was upregulated in osteoporosis and regulates the proliferation and apoptosis of osteoclasts, Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research (2019) 14:416, DOI: 10.1186 s13018-019-1430-4, Department of Orthopaedics, Baoding First Central Hospital, Baoding City * Yunyong Liu, Mengdan Li, Huihui Yu, Haozhe Piao, LncRNA SRA1 is down-regulated in HPV-negative cervical squamous cell carcinoma and regulates cancer cell behaviors, Bioscience Reports (2019) 39 BSR20191226, DOI: 10.1042 BSR20191226, Department of Neurosurgery, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shenyang City * Min Hu, Yaowu Han, Ying Zhang, Yuanfeng Zhou, Lin Ye, lncRNA TINCR sponges miR-214-5p to upregulate ROCK1 in hepatocellular carcinoma, BMC Medical Genetics (2020) 21:2, DOI: 10.1186 s12881-019-0940-6, Department of Pathology, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei * Yu Fu, Limin Cai, Xuexue Lei, Dunwei Wang, Circular RNA ABCB10 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression by increasing HMG20A expression by sponging miR-670-3p, Cancer Cell Int (2019) 19:338, DOI: 10.1186 s12935-019-1055-z, Department of Anesthesiology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin * Zhaohua Tian, Congyao Tang, Zhigang Wang, Neuroprotective effect of ginkgetin in experimental cerebral ischemia reperfusion via apoptosis inhibition and PI3K Akt mTOR signaling pathway activation, J Cell Biochem. 2019;1-9, DOI: 10.1002 jcb.29169, Emergency Department, Shenzhen Longgang District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen * Qing-an-zi Wang, Yongxiu Yang, Xiaolei Liang, LncRNA CTBP1-AS2 sponges miR-216a to upregulate PTEN and suppress endometrial cancer cell invasion and migration, Journal of Ovarian Research (2020) 13:37, DOI: 10.1186 s13048-020-00639-2, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Key Laboratory for Gynecologic Oncology Gansu Province, the First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province * Ding Zhu, Xueshuang Huang, Fang Liang, Lijing Zhao, LncRNA miR503HG interacts with miR-31- 5p through multiple ways to regulate cancer cell invasion and migration in ovarian cancer, Journal of Ovarian Research (2020) 13:3, DOI: 10.1186 s13048-019-0599-9, Biomedical Research Center, Hunan University of Medicine, Huaihua City, Hunan Province The textual similarities of the Ethics Statement, and the listing of a very different hospital suggest that the writing of the paper might have been outsourced. This, together with e.g. very small standard deviations in several graphs, makes me concerned about the data as well. Could the authors share the raw data of this study, please? , 
 For this particular paper, the Western blots look similar to those found in the so-called Tadpole Paper mill, described here: * https: scienceintegritydigest.com 2020 02 21 the-tadpole-paper-mill * https: febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com doi full 10.1002 1873-3468.13201 * https: forbetterscience.com 2020 01 24 the-full-service-paper-mill-and-its-chinese-customers Could the authors please provide the uncropped blots? Here is Figure 3D, made a bit lighter to bring out the background. ![file] , 
 Retracted [23 December 2020] . ---------------------------------------- The Editors-in-Chief has retracted this article [1] due to lack of evidence that the study has received ethics approval. After publication it has come to the Editoru2019s attention that in the body of the article the authors state that their study was approved by the Ethics Committee at the First Hospital of Lanzhou University. However, in the Ethics declarations section, the authors state that their study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Maternity and Child Care Center of Liuzhou. The authors have not provided documentation of approval from an ethics committee for this study. Yongxiu Yang and Qing-an-zi-Wang agree with this retraction. Xioalei Liang have not responded to any correspondence regarding this retraction. , 
 #2 To my mind these WB simulations are more characteristic of the  Direct Target papermill, with [products tabulated here] . Fig 3D again: ![] For comparison, Figures 4D, 5B, 6A, 7A, 8E from [Deng et al (2018)] - an early manifestation. ![] Another example: Figs 2C, 4D, 6, 5A B from [Li et al (2019)] . ![] ,