RETRACTED: HBV-encoded miR-2 functions as an oncogene by downregulating TRIM35 but upregulating RAN in liver cancer cells

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal This article has been retracted at the request of the editor because following publication concerns were raised by a reader with respect to images presented in multiple figures. Specifically, the reader suspected partial image duplications between the migration/pTRIM35 panel and the invasion/pcDNA3 panel in Fig. 4e, the migration/pshR-RAN panel and the migration/pcDNA3 panel in Fig. 5e, the invasion/pRAN panel in Fig. 5e and the invasion/pHBV-miR-2+pcDNA3 panel in Fig. 6e, the migration/pcDNA3+pcDNA3 panel in Fig. 6e and the migration/pcDNA3+pSilencer panel in Fig. 7e, and finally, the migration/pBHV-miR-2+pTRIM3 panel in Fig. 6e with the migration/pcDNA3+pSilencer panel in Fig. 7e. These image duplication allegations were referred to the Office of the Academic Ethics Committee at Basic Medical School, Tianjin Medical University, China, for independent investigation. The Committee received all the original data related to the paper from corresponding author and first author, and confirmed that the authors had done all experiments supporting the reported results. The independent investigation concluded the laboratory led by the corresponding author had serious problems with data management and supervision, which may have accounted for the errors in the paper. The committee did not detect deliberate fraud, but requested the corresponding author should withdraw the paper based on the nature of multiple misuses of figures. The authors subsequently requested retraction of the article. The editors no longer have confidence in the integrity of these data. All authors agree to this retraction.