Withdrawal: Identification of nitric oxide as an endogenous activator of the AMP-activated protein kinase in vascular endothelial cells.

Abstract

VOLUME 283 (2008) PAGES 27452–27461 This article has been withdrawn by the authors except Junhua Zhang, who could not be reached. The Journal raised questions regarding the following. 1) A portion of the AMPK immunoblot in Fig. 1C was reused as AMPK in Fig. 7E. 2) The eNOS immunoblot in Fig. 1F was reused in Fig. 2A as eNOS. 3) A portion of the AMPK immunoblot in Fig. 1F was reused in Fig. 6C as AMPK. The withdrawing authors agree with the Journal analysis that there is partial overlap of the AMPK immunoblots in Figs. 1C and 7E, and the withdrawing authors state that this error occurred during the early stage of figure preparation. For the other two instances that the Journal has cited, the withdrawing authors are not convinced that any duplication occurred, and they were able to provide to the Journal data from repeat experiments performed at the time of the original work, which they state confirm the results. The withdrawing authors offered to publish substitute figures based on the repeated experiments and, alternatively, offered to repeat the experiments. However, the Journal declined both offers, a decision with which the withdrawing authors respectfully disagree. Furthermore, the withdrawing authors state that the results of this paper have been confirmed by the results of complementary experiments presented in the article and that the principal observations of this article were further confirmed in publications from other laboratories (Chi, Y., et al. (2011) J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 339, 257–266; Su, K. H., et al. (2014) Acta Physiol. (Oxf.) 212, 191–204; Yang, S., and Wang, J. (2015) Cell Biochem. Biophys. 72, 701–707; Kunanusornchai, W., et al. (2016) Mol. Cell Biochem. 423, 175–185; Dymkowska, D., et al. (2019) Int. J. Biochem. Cell Biol. 106, 57–67). The withdrawing authors stand by the experimental data and the conclusions of this article. The article, with confirmatory data supporting the results, can be obtained by contacting the withdrawing authors. Identification of Nitric Oxide as an Endogenous Activator of the AMP-activated Protein Kinase in Vascular Endothelial CellsJournal of Biological ChemistryVol. 283Issue 41PreviewIn endothelial cells, the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is stimulated by sheer stress or growth factors that stimulate release of nitric oxide (NO). We hypothesized that NO might act as an endogenous activator of AMPK in endothelial cells. Exposure of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to NO donors caused an increase in phosphorylation of both Thr-172 of AMPK and Ser-1177 of endothelial nitric oxide synthase, a downstream enzyme of AMPK. NO-induced activation of AMPK was not affected by inhibition of LKB1, an AMPK kinase. Full-Text PDF Open Access