Kim et al. DNA demethylation in hormone-induced transcriptional derepression. Nature 461, 1007-1012 (15 October 2009)

今回東京大学の調査により明らかになった分子細胞生物学研究所加藤茂明教授（既に退職）の研究室における研究不正の中でも、データ捏造の度合いがひどくしかも一流誌に掲載されているという点で一際目を引くものの一つがこの論文です。この論文に関しては、調査委員会の予備調査結果が出るよりも前に既に撤回されています。

2008年8月18日　論文投稿
2009年8月24日　論文受理
2009年10月15日号Natureに論文掲載
2011年11月1日　論文訂正
2012年6月14日　論文撤回

という経過を辿りました。論文掲載後にデータ捏造疑惑が生じて、苦し紛れの「訂正」をしているわけですから、部下のデータ捏造を教授がうっかり見逃したという図式ではないようです。

DNA demethylation in hormone-induced transcriptional derepression

Mi-Sun Kim^1,2,3, Takeshi Kondo², Ichiro Takada², Min-Young Youn², Yoko Yamamoto², Sayuri Takahashi², Takahiro Matsumoto^1,2, Sally Fujiyama^1,2, Yuko Shirode^1,2, Ikuko Yamaoka^1,2, Hirochika Kitagawa², Ken-Ichi Takeyama², Hiroshi Shibuya³, Fumiaki Ohtake^1,2 & Shigeaki Kato^1,2

1. ERATO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchisi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
2. Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
3. Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Medical Research Institute and School of Biomedical Science, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan

Correspondence to: Shigeaki Kato^1,2 Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to S.K. (Email: uskato@mail.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp).

Nature 461, 1007-1012 (15 October 2009) | doi:10.1038/nature08456; Received 18 August 2008; Accepted 24 August 2009

There is a Corrigendum (1 December 2011) associated with this document.

There is a Retraction (14 June 2012) associated with this document.

この論文は一度、著者により「訂正」（Corrigendum）されています。

Several lanes of the ChIP analyses in this Letter were inadvertently duplicated or erroneously created during figure assembly. We now provide corrected figure panels for Figs 1f, 2c, 2f, 2g and 3h and Supplementary Figs S8, S9a, S9b, S11, S13b, S18 and S28. Our results and conclusions are not affected by these errors, but we apologise for the careless mistakes made.

During initial preparation of the figure panels, the panels for the negative controls (with no obvious signals), inputs and some data were inappropriately duplicated and mixed up. The experiments were performed several times, so a set of data with adequate negative controls and inputs from one experimental round could be found. We have replaced the previous set of data in these panels with a correct set, and confirmed that these corrections do not affect the original claims in the published text. Representative ChIP data are displayed and significance was statistically assessed from several independently repeated experiments. We have also repeated the experiments and obtained the same results as those in the published figures.

そして結果的に、著者らにより「撤回」されました。
In this Letter, we claimed that hormone-regulated transcriptional control involves DNA demethylation mediated by MBD4. Subsequently, we corrected some figure panels that appeared to have been erroneously prepared (Corrigendum, http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v480/n7375/full/nature10604.html). However, we later found that other figure panels contained data duplications. After further review, we now conclude that the results presented in the original figures had been inappropriately manipulated, and given these more serious concerns we no longer have confidence in the original figures. We therefore wish to retract this Letter and sincerely apologise for any adverse consequences that may have resulted from the paper’s publication.

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