Findings of Research Misconduct, 49597-49598 [2022-17264]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
• Office of the Secretary

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 154 (Thursday, August 11, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49597-49598]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-17264]



[[Page 49597]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of the Secretary


Findings of Research Misconduct

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Findings of research misconduct have been made against Stuart 
G. Jarrett, Ph.D. (Respondent), former research-track assistant 
professor, Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology and Markey 
Cancer Center, University of Kentucky (UK) College of Medicine. 
Respondent engaged in research misconduct under 42 CFR part 93 in 
research supported by U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) funds, 
specifically National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of 
Health (NIH), grants R01 CA131075 and T32 CA165990, National Center for 
Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), NIH, grant UL1 TR000117, and 
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), NIH, grant 
T32 ES007266. The administrative actions, including debarment for a 
period of four (4) years, were implemented beginning on July 18, 2022, 
and are detailed below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wanda K. Jones, Dr.P.H., Acting 
Director, Office of Research Integrity, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 
240, Rockville, MD 20852, (240) 453-8200.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is hereby given that the Office of 
Research Integrity (ORI) has taken final action in the following case:
    Stuart G. Jarrett, Ph.D., University of Kentucky: Based on the 
evidence and findings of an investigation conducted by UK, ORI's 
oversight review of UK's investigation, and additional evidence 
obtained and analysis conducted by ORI during its oversight review, ORI 
found that Dr. Stuart G. Jarrett, former research-track assistant 
professor, Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology and Markey 
Cancer Center, UK College of Medicine, engaged in research misconduct 
under 42 CFR part 93 in research supported by PHS funds, specifically 
NCI, NIH, grants R01 CA131075 and T32 CA165990, NCATS, NIH, grant UL1 
TR000117, and NIEHS, NIH, grant T32 ES007266.
    ORI found by a preponderance of the evidence that Respondent 
intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly falsified and/or fabricated 
Western blot and histological image data related to mechanisms of 
melanoma protection by reusing, relabeling, and manipulating images or 
using blank panels to falsely report data in twenty-eight (28) figures 
included in four (4) PHS-supported published papers, one (1) funded PHS 
grant application, and two (2) unfunded PHS grant applications. ORI 
found that these acts constitute a significant departure from accepted 
practices of the relevant research community. The affected papers and 
grant applications are:

 PKA-mediated phosphorylation of ATR promotes recruitment of 
XPA to UV-induced DNA damage. Mol. Cell 2014 Jun 19;54(6):999-1011; 
doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2014.05.030 (hereafter referred to as ``Mol. Cell 
2014'').
 AKAP12 mediates PKA-induced phosphorylation of ATR to enhance 
nucleotide excision repair. Nucleic Acids Res. 2016 Dec 
15;44(22):10711-26; doi: 10.1093/nar/gkw871 (hereafter referred to as 
``Nucleic Acids Res. 2016''). Retraction in: Nucleic Acids Res. 2020 
Nov 18; 48(20):11814; doi: 10.1093/nar/gkaa984.
 Sirtuin 1-mediated deacetylation of XPA DNA repair protein 
enhances its interaction with ATR protein and promotes cAMP-induced DNA 
repair of UV damage. J. Biol. Chem. 2018 Dec 7; 293(49): 19025-37; doi: 
10.1074/jbc.RA118.003940 (hereafter referred to as ``JBC 2018''). 
Retraction in: J. Biol. Chem. 2021 Jan-Jun;296:100185; doi: 10.1016/
j.jbc.2020.100185.
 The melanocortin signaling cAMP axis accelerates repair and 
reduces mutagenesis of platinum-induced DNA damage. Sci. Rep. 2017 Sep 
15;7(1):11708; doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-12056-5 (hereafter referred to 
as ``Sci. Rep. 2017''). Retraction in: Sci. Rep. 2021 Jan 7;11(1):847; 
doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-80467-y.
 R01 CA131075-06, ``Defining the contribution of ATR to MC1R-
enhanced DNA repair in melanocytes,'' submitted to NCI, NIH, on July 1, 
2014 (not funded).
 R01 CA131075-06A1, ``Defining the contribution of ATR to MC1R-
enhanced DNA repair in melanocytes,'' submitted to NCI, NIH, on March 
2, 2015, Funded Project Dates: July 1, 2010-March 31, 2022.
 R01 CA207312-01, ``Defining mechanisms of MC1R-enhanced 
nucleotide excision repair in melanocytes,'' submitted to NCI, NIH, on 
October 1, 2015 (not funded).

    Specifically, ORI found by a preponderance of the evidence that 
Respondent engaged in research misconduct by intentionally, knowingly, 
or recklessly falsifying and/or fabricating:

 Western blot images in Figures 7D and 7E of Mol. Cell 2014 by 
reusing, manipulating, and relabeling an image to falsely represent 
different experiments in UV-untreated cells in Figure 7D and in UV-
treated cells in Figure 7E
 Western blot images in Supplemental Figure 3C of Mol. Cell. 
2014 by reusing, manipulating, and relabeling a blot panel image to 
falsely represent different experiments involving [6-4]-photoproducts 
and XPA
 confocal microscopic images of melanocytes in Figure 1C of 
Nucleic Acids Res. 2016 by inserting a blank image panel to falsely 
represent the absence of proximity ligation assay (PLA) signal in a 
negative control experiment when the original image showed PLA signal
 confocal microscopic images of melanocytes in Figure 5B of 
Nucleic Acids Res. 2016, by inserting blank image panels to falsely 
represent UV-untreated control experiments, and the quantification 
reported in Figure 5C that was derived from falsified and/or fabricated 
images in Figure 5B
 confocal microscopic images of melanocytes in Figure 6A of 
Nucleic Acids Res. 2016, by inserting blank image panels to falsely 
represent the absence of PLA signal in negative control experiments 
when the original images showed PLA signal, and the quantification 
reported in Figure 6C that was derived from falsified and/or fabricated 
images in Figure 6A
 confocal microscopic images of melanocytes in Figure 6B of 
Nucleic Acids Res. 2016, by inserting blank image panels to falsely 
represent UV-untreated control experiments, and the quantification 
reported in Figure 6C that was derived from falsified and/or fabricated 
images in Figure 6B
 confocal microscopic images of melanocytes in Figure 6D of 
Nucleic Acids Res. 2016, by inserting blank image panels to falsely 
represent no PLA signal in control experiments when the original images 
showed PLA signal, and the quantification reported in Figure 6F that 
was derived from falsified and/or fabricated images in Figure 6D
 confocal microscopic images of melanocytes in Figure 6E of 
Nucleic Acids Res. 2016, by inserting blank image panels to falsely 
represent UV-untreated control experiments, and the quantification 
reported in Figure 6F that was derived from falsified and/or fabricated 
images in Figure 6E
 confocal microscopic images of melanocytes in Figure 6G of 
Nucleic Acids Res. 2016 by inserting blank image panels to falsely 
represent the

[[Page 49598]]

absence of nuclear localization of XPA, AKAP12, and ATR-pS435 in 
unirradiated cells transfected with wild-type AKAP12 when the original 
images showed positive signal
 confocal microscopic images of melanocytes in Figure 6H of 
Nucleic Acids Res. 2016 by inserting blank image panels to falsely 
represent the absence of nuclear localization of XPA, AKAP12, and ATR-
pS435 in unirradiated cells transfected with mutant AKAP12 when the 
original images showed positive signal
 confocal microscopic images of melanocytes in Figure 5A of 
Sci. Rep. 2017, by inserting blank image panels in the top row, panels 
1 and 4, to falsely represent negative control experiments, and the 
quantification reported in Figure 5B that was derived from falsified 
and/or fabricated images in Figure 5A
 confocal microscopic images of melanocytes in Figure 1A, top 
row, panels 1, 3, 5, and 7, of JBC 2018, by inserting blank image 
panels to represent negative control experiments, and the 
quantification in Figure 1B that was derived from falsified and/or 
fabricated images in Figure 1A
 confocal microscopic images of melanocytes in Figure 2B of JBC 
2018 by using two different cells from the same source image to falsely 
represent different experimental results: a cell for control conditions 
(top row, panel 1) and another cell to represent the outcome of the 
treatment conditions (top row, panel 8), as well as the quantification 
reported in Figure 2C that was derived from falsified and/or fabricated 
images in Figure 2B
 confocal microscopic images of melanocytes in Figure 3D of JBC 
2018 by using two different cell images from the same source image to 
falsely represent different experimental results in: XPA-K215Q 
transfected cells without forskolin (column 3, rows 1 and 2 of lower 
right set of panels) and XPA-K215Q transfected cells with forskolin 
(column 4, rows 1 and 2 of lower right set of panels), and the 
quantification reported in Figure 3D that was derived from falsified 
and/or fabricated images in Figure 3D
 confocal microscopic images of melanocytes in JBC 2018 Figure 
3D, column 1, rows 1 and 2, of ``XPA-WT'' set of panels, and in JBC 
2018 Figure 3D, column 1, rows 1 and 2, of ``XPA-K63Q'' set of panels, 
by using the same image field to represent UV untreated cells ``XPA-
WT'' and ``XPA-K63Q'' mutant, and the quantification reported in Figure 
3D that was derived from falsified and/or fabricated images in Figure 
3D
 confocal microscopic images of melanocytes in Figure 2D 
(images in column 1, rows 1 and 3) of Mol. Cell 2014 by reusing, 
manipulating, and relabeling an image to falsely represent the absence 
of [6-4]-PP in both vehicle-treated cells and forskolin-treated cells 
in negative control experiments
 confocal microscopic images of melanocytes in Figure 7C of 
Mol. Cell 2014 (and in Figure 2F of R01 CA207312-01, Figure 5A of R01 
CA131075-06, and Figure 3B of R01 CA131075-06A1), by inserting blank 
image panels to falsely represent forskolin-treated cells and untreated 
cells without UV exposure, and the quantification reported in Figure 7C 
and Figure 5A of R01 CA131075-06 that was derived from falsified and/or 
fabricated images in Figure 7C
 confocal microscopic images of melanocytes in Figure 4E of R01 
CA131075-06A1 and Figure 4C of R01 CA207312-01 by using cell images 
from the same source micrograph to falsely represent cAMP-augmented 
interaction between pS435-ATR and AKAP12

    The following administrative actions have been implemented:
    (1) For a period of four (4) years, beginning on July 18, 2022, 
Respondent is debarred from participating in ``covered transactions'' 
as defined in 42 CFR 180.200 and procurement transactions covered under 
the Federal Acquisition Regulation (48 CFR chapter 1).
    (2) Respondent is prohibited from serving in any advisory capacity 
to PHS including, but not limited to, service on any PHS advisory 
committee, board, and/or peer review committee, or as a consultant for 
a period of four (4) years, beginning on July 18, 2022.
    (3) In accordance with 42 CFR 93.407(a)(1) and 93.411(b), HHS will 
send to the journal Molecular Cell a notice of ORI's findings and the 
need for retraction of Mol. Cell 2014 Jun 19;54(6):999-1011; doi: 
10.1016/j.molcel.2014.05.030.

    Dated: August 8, 2022.
Wanda K. Jones,
Acting Director, Office of Research Integrity, Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Health.
[FR Doc. 2022-17264 Filed 8-10-22; 8:45 am]
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