The PLOS ONE Editors retract this article [1] in light of concerns raised about Figure 2.
Similarities were noted between bands within the β-actin panel, which also appears to duplicate the β-actin panel in Figure 2 of [2].
Additionally, the HSP 27 blots appear to have been altered during figure preparation, based on background discontinuities above and below lanes 3,4 in the upper (non-labor) panel and above lanes 5–7 of the middle (labor) panel.
The University of Glasgow investigated these concerns and recommended retraction owing to signs of data manipulation and falsification. In the course of the investigation, it was established that the original data underlying the figure panels in question are no longer available.
In light of these concerns, and in line with the institution’s communication, the PLOS ONE Editors retract this article, as the concerns raised call into question the integrity of the data and validity of the article’s results and conclusions.
AA agreed with the retraction. AF and FL did not respond.
References
- 1.Abdulsid A, Fletcher A, Lyall F (2013) Heat Shock Protein 27 Is Spatially Distributed in the Human Placenta and Decreased during Labor. PLoS ONE 8(8): e71127 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0071127 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] [Retracted]
- 2.Abdulsid A, Hanretty K, Lyall F (2013) Heat Shock Protein 70 Expression Is Spatially Distributed in Human Placenta and Selectively Upregulated during Labor and Preeclampsia. PLoS ONE 8(1): e54540 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0054540 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar] [Retracted]