Retraction Note: BMP2 secretion from hepatocellular carcinoma cell HepG2 enhances angiogenesis and tumor growth in endothelial cells via activation of the MAPK/p38 signaling pathway.

Retraction Note: Stem Cell Research & Therapy (2019) 10:237 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13287-019-1301-2

The Editors-in-chief have retracted this article. After publication, concerns were raised regarding the validity of the presented data.

Specifically:

Duplicated images are presented in Fig. 3g (H_shNC) and Fig. 7g (H-oeBMP2 + SB-239063);

Duplicated images are presented in Fig. 4d (H_shNC) and Fig. 6d (H_oeBMP2 + SB-239063);

Breaks appear to be present in the western blot backgrounds in Fig. 5a p-ERK1/2, p-JNK and JNK images, and the authors have been unable to provide the underlying raw data to address this;

One of the tumor images in Fig. 3b (H_oeBMP2) appears highly similar to that presented in Fig. 7a (shALX4) in [1].

The Editors-in-Chief therefore no longer have confidence in the presented data and the conclusions drawn.

The authors have not responded to correspondence from the editor or publisher about this retraction.