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how can this happen? - (Nov/01/2010 )

http://www.nature.com/ni/journal/v11/n8/fig_tab/ni.1908_F5.html
in this figure 5b, p-tyr of the two groups, itgam+/- and itgam-/-, looks like from 2 different gels---bands on one gel can make a 'smiled' curve but not two. It is meaningless to compare western blots from 2 different gels. Actually, the bands of the 2 groups looks so similar that i wonder they are just made from same blot but different exposure.
http://www.nature.com/ni/journal/v5/n11/fig_tab/ni1130_F2.html
In this figure 2C, diffDC (IL12) and diffDC-LPS (IL12) are identical
http://www.nature.com/ni/journal/v9/n5/fig_tab/ni.1604_F6.html
In this figure6, actin bands in Fig 6b, after rotate 180 degree, are identical to the last 2 actin bands in Fig 6a.

Actually, these are none of my business. I just cant believe my eyeballs when i see those figures on Nature.

-jwbio-

figure 5b is probably the same blot that was stripped and re-probed.

2c - either identical, or from the same sample.

6b - certainly looks like it.

sometimes it's an accident (looking at graphs all day you don't pick up obvious things like using the same figure twice)... other times it's not so accidental.

-vetticus3-

vetticus3 on Tue Nov 2 13:02:27 2010 said:


figure 5b is probably the same blot that was stripped and re-probed.

2c - either identical, or from the same sample.

6b - certainly looks like it.

sometimes it's an accident (looking at graphs all day you don't pick up obvious things like using the same figure twice)... other times it's not so accidental.



these data published on NI are from same lab. if accident happended 3 times, is it still an accident? And almost all high level publication from this lab are NI. The editor just ignored my message. I cant fight with the corresponding author, who is a general in Chinese army...

-jwbio-

You really got great eyes. An ordinary people like me did not observed this at all.
You must be reading a lot of their papers for many years...
^_^

-adrian kohsf-

adrian kohsf on Tue Nov 2 16:35:10 2010 said:


You really got great eyes. An ordinary people like me did not observed this at all.
You must be reading a lot of their papers for many years...
^_^


No, I did not know this lab till my colleague did a journal club with their 2010 NI paper during lab meeting and I saw the problem---you can see all the WB figures are clipped in this paper. Fig5 is just one of the questionable images. Actually this lab doesn't have other high level publication except NI, so it is easy to tract it.

-jwbio-