MiR-21 and miR-183 can simultaneously target SOCS6 and modulate growth and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells
Authors: H-T Chu
Z-Z Li
L Li
M Jia
Z-B Li
Journal: European review for medical and pharmacological sciences (2015)
Discipline: PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY
Keywords: miR-21; miR-183; hepatocellular carcinoma; SOCS6; cytokine receptor signaling
Affiliations: Dpartment of Infection Disease, Zaozhuang Municipal Hospital, Zaozhuang, Shandong, China. .

Abstract:  Objective: Both miR-21 and miR-183 are upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and are considered as oncomiR. However, their oncogenic roles are still not fully understood. This study aimed to explore the regulative role of miR-21 and miR-183 over suppressors of cytokine signaling 6 (SOCS6), a negative regulator of cytokine receptor signaling. Materials and methods: qRT-PCR analysis was performed to assess miR-21 and miR-183 expression in tumor tissues obtained from HCC patients and in HCC cell lines HepG2 and Hep3B. Their regulation over SOCS6 is verified using dual luciferase assay and Western blot analysis. The function of miR-21/miR-183-SOCS6 axis in cell growth, invasion and apoptosis was studied. Results: MiR-21 and miR-183 expression in HCC tissues than in adjacent normal tissues. Knockdown of miR-21 and miR-183 in HepG2 and Hep3B cells could decrease cell viability, increase cell apoptosis and decrease cell invasion. Based on the dual luciferase assay and Western blot analysis, we confirmed that both miR-21 and miR-183 can simultaneously target SOCS6 and modulate its expression at protein level. Overexpression of SOCS6 without 3'UTR could significantly lower cell growth rate and invasion capability, but increase relative caspase 3/7 activity and the ratio of apoptotic cells. However, these effects could not be blocked by miR-21 or miR-183 mimics. Conclusions: This study revealed a novel miR-21/miR-183-SOCS6 axis that might play an important role in modulating cell growth and invasion of HCC cells. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 This paper belongs to a set of over 400 papers (as per February 2020) that share very similar Western blots with tadpole-like shaped bands, the same background pattern, and striking similarities in title structures, paper layout, bar graph design, and - in a subset - flow cytometry panels. Despite these similarities, these papers are authored by researchers from different departments and institutes, with almost no overlap in authors. The list of these papers is available here: https: docs.google.com spreadsheets d 1KXqTAyl4j-jVorFPMD2XRpr76LcIKJ0CVyIvRj0exYQ edit?usp=sharing A more detailed description of this set of papers, suspected to all be generated by a common source, a paper mill , can be found here: * https: forbetterscience.com 2020 01 24 the-full-service-paper-mill-and-its-chinese-customers (January 2020) * https: scienceintegritydigest.com 2020 02 21 the-tadpole-paper-mill (February 2020) The same paper mill has been described in these papers: * Jana Christopher - Systematic fabrication of scientific images revealed - FEBS Letters (2018) - https: febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com doi full 10.1002 1873-3468.13201 * Jennifer A Byrne and Jana Christopher - Digital magic, or the dark arts of the 21st centuryu2014how can journals and peer reviewers detect manuscripts and publications from paper mills? - FEBS Letters (2020) - https: febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com doi full 10.1002 1873-3468.13747 , 
 Retracted [7 March 2022] . --------------------- This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief. Given the comments of Dr Elisabeth Bik regarding this article  u2026 the Western blot bands in all 400+ papers are all very regularly spaced and have a smooth appearance in the shape of a dumbbell or tadpole, without any of the usual smudges or stains. All bands are placed on similar looking backgrounds, suggesting they were copy pasted from other sources, or computer generated , the journal requested the authors to provide the raw data. However, the authors were not able to fulfil this request and therefore the Editor-in-Chief decided to retract the article. ,