Retracted: Activation of Akt Rescues Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Impaired Murine Cardiac Contractile Function via Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3β-Mediated Suppression of Mitochondrial Permeation Pore Opening

Abstract

The Editor-in-Chief of Antioxidants and Redox Signaling (ARS) was notified by the University of Wyoming (Laramie, WY) that as a result of recent institutional findings of research misconduct against a former employee, Dr. Jun Ren, the University was requesting retractions from four journals^1-4 which are not associated with ARS. However, the University subsequently delved further into an “examination of other selected publications of Dr. Ren's under the direction of the HHS Office of Research Integrity. Based on th[ose] findings of this examination, the University of Wyoming is recommending retraction of 29 additional publications,”** including an article published in ARS entitled, “Activation of Akt Rescues Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Impaired Murine Cardiac Contractile Function via Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3β-Mediated Suppression of Mitochondrial Permeation Pore Opening,” by Yingmei Zhang, Zhi Xia, Karissa H. La Cour, and Jun Ren (Antioxid Redox Signal 15(9);2011:2407-2424; doi: 10.1089/ars.2010.3751) because of “concerns regarding data irregularities inconsistent with published conclusions.” The University found evidence of “data irregularities and image reuse in Figures 3, 6, 8, and 9 that significantly affect the results and conclusions reported in the manuscript.” (See Supplemental Figure 1.)

Upon receipt of the report, the publisher of ARS notified Dr. Ren of the University of Wyoming's request for retraction. Dr. Ren appealed the university's decision to retract based on his failure “to catch this series of JC-1 staining mistake already made earlier by his misconduct or mistakes by inexperienced undergraduate students,” and requested that a correction statement be issued instead of a full retraction. After informing the Research Integrity Officer (RIO) at the University of Wyoming of Dr. Ren's appeal, the request for a correction was denied as the RIO stated that the university stands by their initial findings and requested an official retraction.

The publisher of ARS also ran independent checks of the images and verified the stated misuse.

Based on the investigative findings by the University of Wyoming and the publisher's independent analysis, ARS officially retracts this article. The publisher attempted to contact Dr. Ren's coauthors on the paper to notify them of the decision to retract but were not successful and asked Dr. Ren to notify them directly.

The Editor and Publisher of Antioxidants and Redox Signaling are committed to preserving the veracity of scientific literature and the community it serves.

**The additional 29 publications are not identified in this notification because they are not published in ARS or by its publisher.

References

1. Guo R, Nair S, Zhang Y, and Ren J. Adiponectin deficiency rescues high-fat diet-induced hepatic injury, apoptosis and autophagy loss despite persistent steatosis. Int J Obes, 41(9): 1403-1412, 2017; DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2017.128 [Retracted]

2. Guo R, Xu X, Babcock SA, Zhang Y, and Ren, J. Aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 plays a beneficial role in ameliorating chronic alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis and inflammation through regulation of autophagy. J Hepatol, 62(3): 647-656, 2015.

3. Wu Z, He, EY, Scott GL, and Ren J. α,β-Unsaturated aldehyde pollutant acrolein suppresses cardiomyocyte contractile function: Role of TRPV1 and oxidative stress. Environ Toxicol 30(6): 638-647, 2015; [Retracted]

4. Zhang Y, Han X, Hu N, Huff AF, Gao F, and Ren J. Akt2 knockout alleviates prolonged caloric restriction-induced change in cardiac contractile function through regulation of autophagy. J Mol Cell Cardiol 71: 81-91; 2014. [Retracted]