Retraction: Pharmacologic Inactivation of Kinase Suppressor of Ras1 Sensitizes Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor and Oncogenic Ras-Dependent Tumors to Ionizing Radiation Treatment

The article titled “Pharmacologic Inactivation of Kinase Suppressor of Ras1 Sensitizes Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor and Oncogenic Ras-Dependent Tumors to Ionizing Radiation Treatment,” which was published in the October 2010 issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics (1), is being retracted by the AACR Publications Department, following an investigation conducted by the University of Chicago and a subsequent finding of research misconduct by the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The finding of misconduct impacts the main conclusions of this article, specifically, that images used in the article “had been among a set of manipulated images produced while at another institution, which had been found to be false by that institution. ORI found that respondent falsely reported these images in Figs. 1D, 2A, and Supplementary Fig. S1B and S1C” (2).

The ORI report (2) lists the following falsifications:

1. Falsely labeled immunoblots in Figs. 1D and 2A as follows:

   1. Figure 1D (bottom panel), representing the total ERK levels in extracts from cells exposed to 15 Gy of gamma radiation for 0–120 minutes, by using results from an unrelated experiment for MAPK levels in extracts from cells exposed to 2, 12, or 20 Gy of gamma irradiation for 1, 5, 20, or 60 minutes

   2. Figure 2A (KSR1 panel), representing a control Flag-KSR1 immunoblot for extracts of cells transfected with control (TRE), wild-type KSR (KSR-S), or dominant negative inactive KSR (DN-KSR) exposed to no radiation or gamma irradiation for 5 minutes, by using results form an unrelated experiment for KSR-transfected cells (KSR-S) irradiated with 0, 2, 5, 20, 15, 20 Gy irradiation

   3. Figure 2A (ERK panel), representing a control ERK immunoblot for extracts of cells transfected with control (TRE), wild-type KSR (KSR-S), or dominant negative inactive KSR (DN-KSR) exposed to no radiation or gamma irradiation for 5 minutes, by using results from an unrelated experiment for KSR-transfected cells (KSR-S) irradiated with 0, 2, 5, 10, 15, 20 Gy irradiation

2. Falsified images in Figs. 1D, 2A, and Supplementary Fig. S1B and S1C by duplicating bands within the figures as follows:

   1. Figure 1D (top panel) for an immunoblot for p-ERK in A431 cells, by using the same bands to represent cells treated with ionizing radiation for 5 and 10 minutes with the bands for 60 and 90 minutes

   2. Figure 2A (top) for an in vitro kinase assay for p-GST-Elk-1, by duplicating lanes 2 and 5 to represent the control plasmid (TRE) at 5 minutes postradiation (lane 2) and the dominant negative inactive KSR (DN-KSR) NT lane (lane 5)

   3. Supplementary Figure S1B (middle panel) for an in vitro kinase assay for p-GST-MEK, by using the same bands to represent cells exposed to 5 and 20 Gy ionizing radiation

   4. Supplementary Figure S1C (top panel) for an immunoblot for p-MEK1/2, by using the same bands to represent cells exposed to 2 and 20 Gy ionizing radiation

The AACR follows guidelines developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). In cases such as this, where there is clear evidence that findings in the publication are unreliable, it is recommended that the article be retracted (3). Thus, it is our responsibility to correct the published record by retracting this article.