Following the publication of this article [1], concerns were raised regarding Figs 4 and 5. Specifically, there appears to be vertical discontinuities in the following locations:
- Fig 4A, Cytosol p47phox panel, between lanes 1/2 and 2/3.
- Fig 4A, Membrane Tubulin panel, between lanes 1/2.
- Fig 5, IP: p47phox panel, between lanes 1/2 and 2/3.
The corresponding author stated that primary data underlying the published results remain available except for the original images underlying Fig 4 and the IP: p47phox panel in Fig 5. In the absence of the original data for these figures, they could not comment on whether the panels listed above were spliced.
The corresponding author provided uncropped images described as replicate data for Fig 4A and individual-level quantitative data underlying the graph in Fig 4B (included with this notice as S1 and S2 Files).
The corresponding author also provided uncropped images described as the original data for Fig 5 IP: p67phox panels (S3 File) and original uncropped images corresponding to the published IP: p47phox, gp91phox, and p67phox panels in Fig 5 (S4 File). For the IP: p67phox panels, it was not possible to be certain that these correspond to the published panel due to poor image quality.
For Figs 4 and 5, the replicate or original data provided lend support for the reported results. However, without the original image data underlying the published figures, the concerns cannot be fully resolved.
The PLOS ONE Editors issue this Expression of Concern to notify readers of the above concerns which may impact the reliability of the conclusions drawn from these figures, and to relay the supporting data provided by the corresponding author.
Supporting information
S2 File. Quantitative data underlying Fig 4B.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0299122.s002
(XLSX)
S3 File. Images described as the original data for Fig 5 IP: p67phox panels.
gp91phox is also known as Nox2.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0299122.s003
(ZIP)
S4 File. Original images underlying Fig 5 IP: p47phox, except the p47phox panel.
gp91phox is also known as Nox2.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0299122.s004
(ZIP)
Reference
Citation: The PLOS ONE Editors (2024) Expression of Concern: HIF-1α Activation by Intermittent Hypoxia Requires NADPH Oxidase Stimulation by Xanthine Oxidase. PLoS ONE 19(2): e0299122. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0299122
Published: February 14, 2024
Copyright: © 2024 The PLOS ONE Editors. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.