Retraction to: Acta Pharmacologica Sinica https://doi.org/10.1038/aps.2016.109, published online 12 December 2016

The Editor has retracted this article [1] because there is significant overlap of figures and text with [2].

Specifically:

  • Figure 1a [1] appears to be identical with sub panels in Figs. 1b and 1d [2]

  • Figure 1d [1] appears to be identical with a sub-panel in Fig. 1e [2]

  • Figures 2a and 2b [1] appears to be identical with Fig. 2a [2]

  • Figures 2c, 2d, 4a, 4b and 4c in [1] appear to be identical with Figs. 2c, 2d, 4a, 4b and 4c in [2]

  • Figure 3a [1] appears to be identical with Fig. 3b [2]

  • Figure 3b [1] appears to be identical with Fig. 3c [2]

  • Figures 5a, 5c, 5d and 5f in [1] appear to be identical with Figs. 6a, 6b, 6c and 6d in [2], respectively

  • Figure 6b [1] appears to be identical with Fig. 8a [2]

The Editor therefore has no confidence in this article.

The authors have told us that all the Western blots in this article were produced by an external experimental company; this was not stated in the article. [All authors agree with this retraction.]