Retracted: miR-1244/Myocyte Enhancer Factor 2D Regulatory Loop Contributes to the Growth of Lung Carcinoma
Authors: He Li
Rui Zhang
Yong Zhang
Journal: DNA and Cell Biology (2015)
Discipline: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY & GENETICS
Keywords: Lung carcinoma; therapeutic resistance; tumorigenesis; progression; miR-1244
Affiliations: 1 Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University , Chongqing, China ., 2 Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Panzhihua University , Panzhihua, China ., 3 Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University , Chongqing, China .

Abstract:  Lung carcinoma greatly threatens human health, due to its increasing incidence in recent years and poor prognosis. However, this malignancy displays resistance against current therapeutic strategies. One of major causes leading to bad outcomes for lung cancer therapy is the lack of understanding on its tumorigenesis and progression. To explore the molecular mechanism by which lung cancer progresses, we employed multidisciplinary approaches and used lung cancer cell lines as research models. miR-1244 was underexpressed in lung carcinoma by 40.6-73.8%, which is highly associated with patients' survival. miR-1244 restoration was shown to affect the proliferation, survival, and invasion of lung cancer cells. miR-1244 suppression rendered normal lung fibroblasts with malignant phenotypes. miR-1244 overexpression can reduce the growth of lung cancer xenografts. miR-1244 was then verified to negatively regulate the expression of myocyte enhancer factor 2D (MEF2D) in lung cancer cells. MEF2D can also affect the expression of miR-1244 by directly binding to its promoter. Further study showed that MEF2D is required for the effect of miR-1244 on lung cancer and normal cells. These results suggested that there is an autoregulatory circuit consisting of miR-1244 and MEF2D, which contributes to the progression of lung cancer. Targeting this molecular loop may be a promising strategy for lung carcinoma treatment. 

Retracted: Yes

PubPeer comments:
 *[left]* Fig 5E.  MEF2D protein was examined by immunoblotting in A549 and H460 cells under such treatments . *[right]* Fig 4B from [Hong et al (2015)] .  Western blot assay was conducted to confirm the above results . ![file] *[left]* Fig 5a of [Peng et al (2016)] and *[right]* Fig 2a from [Song et al (2016)] . ![] , 
 *[right]* Figs 2D, 3D.  Transwell assays were employed to examine the invasiveness of A549 and H460 cells under the same conditions ;  Transwell assays were employed to examine the invasiveness of the two cell lines under the same conditions . *[left]* Fig 2C from [Hong et al (2015)] .  Transwell assay was used to determine the invasiveness of MHCC-97H cells, 48 h after being transfected with two separate Pokemon siRNAs (30 nM) or control (30 nM). ![file] , 
 Figs 7D, 8D.  Transwell assays were employed to examine the invasiveness of A549 cells under the same conditions ;  Transwell assays were employed to examine the invasiveness of MRC-5 cells under the same conditions . ![file] Figs 2C, 3C, 5C from [Kong et al (2016)] .  Transwell assay was performed to evaluate the invasiveness of Huh7 cells, 48 h transfected with siPokemon or nc siRNA ;  Transwell assay was performed to evaluate the invasiveness of HepG2 cell, 48 h transfected with pcDNA-GFP or pcDNA-Pokemon ;  Transwell assay was performed to evaluate the invasiveness of HepG2 cell, 48 h transfected with pcDNAGFP or pcDNA-Pokemon, and siMEF2D or nc siRNA. ![file] Both teams of authors seem to be dipping into the same pool of Transwell images. , 
 Retracted [8 June 2021] . -------------------------------------- *DNA and Cell Biology* officially retracts the paper entitled, u201cmiR-1244 Myocyte Enhancer Factor 2D Regulatory Loop Contributes to the Growth of Lung Carcinomau201d by Rui Zhang, Yong Zhang, and He Li (DNA Cell Biol 34(11):692u2013700; 10.1089 dna.2015.2915) due to image duplication in multiple published papers by numerous different authors, suggests the paper was submitted via a paper mill. The Editor and Publisher of *DNA and Cell Biology* are committed to preserving the scientific literature and the community it serves. ,