Withdrawal: BRCA1-induced apoptosis involves inactivation of ERK1/2 activities

Abstract

could not be reached. The first author identified some issues and brought them to the attention of the Journal. Subsequently, some issues were also noted in the article by the Journal. After careful analysis of all of the original data used for preparing the figures in the publication, the following errors were identified: The Actin immunoblot in the original Fig. 1A (identified from MCF-7) was used in the immunoblot for Fig. 6C (ERK1/2, lanes 3-4). In Fig. 2B (left panel, MCF7 cells), the Actin immunoblots for Ad.Control and Ad.BRCA1 were incorrect. The authors state that the Actin immunoblot for Ad.Control and Ad.BRCA1-infected MCF7 cells in Fig. 2B should have used the same Actin immunoblot depicted in Fig. 3 for MCF-7 cells infected with Ad.Control and Ad.BRCA1 as the results shown in Fig. 2B and Fig. 3 used the same set of lysates that were also probed for PARP (Fig. 2B) and Fas-L and Fas (Fig. 3). The JNK immunoblot in Fig. 4 (MCF-7) was reused as the Actin immunoblot in Fig. 4 (right panel) and the Actin immunoblot in Fig. 5E. The authors state that the top label for Fig. 7 (left panel) was incorrect and should have used the same top label shown in Fig. 5C. Both Figs. 5C and 7 (left panel) depict results obtained from the same MCF7 cell lysates infected with Ad.Control or Ad.BRCA1 in the presence (ϩ) or absence (Ϫ) of PD98059. The Actin immunoblots depicted in Fig. 6C and in Fig. 7 (right Panel) were incorrect. The correct immunoblots for all of these figures listed above were found and submitted to the Journal. Given these errors, the withdrawing authors state that the responsible course of action would be to withdraw the article to maintain the high standards and rigor of scientific literature from the withdrawing authors' group as well as the Journal. However, the withdrawing authors state that these errors do not change the underlying scientific findings of the article.