RETRACTED ARTICLE: Mir-655 up-regulation suppresses cell invasion by targeting pituitary tumor-transforming gene-1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Yunyun Ma
Wenqiao Zang
Xudong Chen
Ziming Dong
Guoqiang Zhao
Yuwen Du
Tao Wang
Ping Li
Min Li
Yuanyuan Wang
Journal: Journal of Translational Medicine (2013)
Discipline: CLINICAL MEDICINE
Keywords: MicroRNAs; miR-655; esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; invasion; metastasis
Affiliations: College of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No,100 Kexue Road, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, China. .

Abstract:  Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can act as either oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes under different conditions and thus can play a significant role in cancer development. We investigated miR-655 expression in a cohort of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) to assess the impact of this miRNA on ESCC cell invasion and metastasis. Methods: A qRT-PCR assay was used to quantify miR-655 expression levels in 34 paired ESCC samples and adjacent non-tumor tissues. Wound healing and transwell assays were used to evaluate the effects of miR-655 expression on the invasiveness of ESCC cells. Luciferase reporter and western blot assays were used to determine whether the mRNA encoding pituitary tumor-transforming gene-1 (PTTG1) is a major target of miR-655. Results: The expression level of miR-655 in ESCC tissues was found to be lower than in adjacent non-tumor tissues (P &lt; 0.05). This relatively low expression level was significantly associated with the occurrence of lymph node metastases (P &lt; 0.05). Migration rates were significantly lower for two ESCC-derived cell lines (EC9706 and KYSE150) transfected with miR-429 mimics (P &lt; 0.05). Subsequent western blot and luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that miR-655 could bind to putative binding sites within the PTTG1 mRNA 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) and thus reduce the expression. Conclusions: miR-655 is expressed at low levels in primary ESCC tissues, and up-regulation of miR-655 inhibits ESCC cell invasiveness by targeting PTTG1. Our findings suggest that PTTG1 may act as a major target of miR-655. This study improves our understanding of the mechanisms underlying ESCC pathogenesis and may promote the development of novel targeted therapies. 

Retracted: Yes

PubPeer comments:
 2020 retraction. https: translational-medicine.biomedcentral.com articles 10.1186 s12967-020-02265-4 The Editor-in-Chief has retracted this article [1] because Figure 3a overlaps with Figure 2 in [2]. An investigation by Zhengzhou University has confirmed this. The data reported in this article are therefore unreliable. There is also considerable text overlap with a previously published article [3]. Guoqiang Zhao does not agree with this retraction. The other authors have not responded to correspondence from the editor about this retraction. References 1. Wang Y, Zang W, Du Y, Ma Y, Li M, Li P, Chen X, Wang T, Dong Z, Zhao G. Mir-655 up-regulation suppresses cell invasion by targeting pituitary tumor-transforming gene-1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. J Transl Med. 2013;11:301. https: doi.org 10.1186 1479-5876-11-301. 2. Zang W, Wang T, Wang Y, Li M, Xuan X, Ma Y, Du Y, Liu K, Dong Z, Zhao G. Myricetin exerts anti-proliferative, anti-invasive, and pro-apoptotic effects on esophageal carcinoma EC9706 and KYSE30 cells via RSK2. Tumor Biol. 2014;35:12583. https: doi.org 10.1007 s13277-014-2579-4. 3. Wang Y, Li M, Zang W, Ma Y, Wang N, Li P, Wang T, Zhao G. MiR-429 up-regulation induces apoptosis and suppresses invasion by targeting Bcl-2 and SP-1 in esophageal carcinoma. Cell Oncol. 2013;36:385. https: doi.org 10.1007 s13402-013-0144-6. , 
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