Retracted : SiRNA‐Mediated Down‐Regulation of CLIC4 Gene Inhibits Cell Proliferation and Accelerates Cell Apoptosis of Mouse Liver Cancer Hca‐F and Hca‐P Cells
Authors: Qing Xia
Xin-Feng Zhou
Qiu-Yun Yu
Jia Yan
Jiu-Ting Zhu
Jia Shen
Xiang Li
Ming Shu
Journal: Journal of Cellular Biochemistry (2018)
Discipline: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY & GENETICS
Keywords: CELL APOPTOSIS; CELL PROLIFERATION; CLIC4; Hca-F; Hca-P
Affiliations: Department of Laboratory, Ningbo No.2 Hospital, Ningbo, 315010, P.R. China., Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surger, Ningbo No.2 Hospital, Ningbo, 315010, P.R. China.

Abstract:  This study explored the effects involved in silencing CLIC4 on apoptosis and proliferation of mouse liver cancer Hca-F and Hca-P cells. A CLIC4-target small interfering RNA (siRNA) was designed to compound into two individual complementary oligonucleotide chains. A process of annealing and connection to a pSilencer vector was followed by transfection with Hca-F and Hca-P cells. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting techniques were used to determine CLIC4 mRNA and protein expressions. CCK8 assay and flow cytometry were employed for analysis of the survival and apoptosis rate as well as the cell cycle in an octreotide-induced apoptosis model. Expressions of caspase 3, caspase 9, and cleaved PARP were measured using Western blotting. The CLIC4 mRNA and protein expressions in Hca-F and Hca-P cells transfected by pSilencer-CLIC4 siRNA plasmid in the blank group displayed remarkably decreased levels of expression, when compared with both the control and negative control (NC) groups. Decreased survival rates and cleaved PARP expression, increased cell apoptosis rate,expressions of caspase 3 and caspase 9 in Hca-F and Hca-P cells were detected in groups that had been cultured in a medium containing octreotide. The pSilencer-CLIC4 siRNA-2 group when compared with the control and NC groups exhibited decreased survival rates, cleaved PARP expression, increased cell apoptosis rates, and increased expressions of caspase 3 and caspase 9 of Hca-F and Hca-P cells. The results demonstrated that siRNA-induced down-regulation of CLIC4 could proliferation, while in turn promoting apoptosis of mouse liver cancer Hca-F and Hca-P cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 119: 659-668, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 

Retracted: Yes

PubPeer comments:
 Fig 6A,B.  Comparisons of expressions of caspase 3, caspase 9 and cleaved PARP Notes: A, western blotting results of Hca-F; B, western blotting results of Hca-P . ![file] The stylised nature of the Western Blots in this paper are suggestive of a papermill provenance. Other examples are tabulated in a spreadsheet. https: docs.google.com spreadsheets d 1r0MyIYpagBc58BRF9c3luWNlCX8VUvUuPyYYXzxWvgY edit?usp=sharing The protein blobs seem to come from the same restricted gamut shown in this montage: ![] , 
 Retracted [30 June 2021] . ------------------------------------ The above article, published online on 21 June 2017 in Wiley Online Library , has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal s Editor in Chief, Prof. Dr. Christian Behl, and Wiley Periodicals LLC. The retraction has been agreed after the authors asked to retract their article due to errors in the statistical methods. During an investigation based on allegations raised by a third party, multiple inappropriate modifications especially in the backgrounds of blots were revealed. Since raw data could not be provided, the overall validity of the results could not be confirmed. ,