RETRACTED ARTICLE: MicroRNA-3194-3p inhibits metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of hepatocellular carcinoma by decreasing Wnt/β-catenin signaling through targeting BCL9

We, the Editors and Publisher of the journal Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology, have retracted the following article:

Bowen Yao, Yazhao Li, Liang Wang, Tianxiang Chen, Yongshen Niu, Qingguang Liu & Zhikui Liu (2019) MicroRNA-3194-3p inhibits metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of hepatocellular carcinoma by decreasing Wnt/β-catenin signaling through targeting BCL9. Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology, 47:1, 3885–3895, DOI: 10.1080/21691401.2019.1670190

Since publication, concerns have been raised about the integrity of the data in the article. In particular, Figures 3A, 5E, 6E and 6F appear to have been previously published in other journals with different author lists, specifically:

Figure 3A appears to have been duplicated with Figure 3E, Yang et al., Cell Death & Disease (2017), DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2017.358

Figure 5E appears to have been duplicated with Figure 10C, Liu et al., Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research (2019), DOI: 10.1186/s13046-019-1188-x

Figure 6E and 6F appear to have been duplicated with Figure 10G and 10F, Liu et al., Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research (2018), DOI: 10.1186/s13046-018-0717-3

Figure 3A appears to have been duplicated with Figure 3E, Yang et al., Cell Death & Disease (2017), DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2017.358

Figure 5E appears to have been duplicated with Figure 10C, Liu et al., Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research (2019), DOI: 10.1186/s13046-019-1188-x

Figure 6E and 6F appear to have been duplicated with Figure 10G and 10F, Liu et al., Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research (2018), DOI: 10.1186/s13046-018-0717-3

When approached for an explanation, the authors checked their data and confirmed there are fundamental errors present and that the images had been “manipulated”. Therefore, they have agreed to the retraction of this article.

We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions.

The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as “Retracted.”