Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology has formally retracted a research article that originally claimed PPARGC1A regulates the transcriptional control of mitochondrial biogenesis in early bovine embryos. The retraction notice, published on 22 October 2026, serves as the official correction to the scientific record regarding this specific study on embryonic development. The original article was published in the journal’s Volume 12 on 17 January 2025, and the retraction process was initiated following concerns raised about the integrity of the visual data presented in the paper.
The decision to retract the paper was driven by specific issues regarding the figures included in the original publication. Following the article’s release, concerns were raised about the integrity of the images used to support the scientific claims. The journal conducted an investigation into these concerns in accordance with its established policies for handling potential research misconduct or errors. The authors of the original study were given the opportunity to provide an explanation for the issues identified during the investigation.
According to the retraction notice, the authors failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the image integrity concerns during the investigation period. The retraction was approved by the Chief Executive Editor of Frontiers, ensuring that the decision followed the highest editorial standards of the publisher. The authors received a formal communication regarding the retraction and were given a chance to respond, a process that has been recorded by the publisher.
The original article, titled “PPARGC1A regulates transcriptional control of mitochondrial biogenesis in early bovine embryos,” was authored by Idrees M, Haider Z, Perera CD, Ullah S, Lee S-H, Lee SE, Kang S-S, Kim SW, and Kong I-K. The paper was published in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, Volume 12, with the article number 1531378. The retraction notice itself is published in Volume 14 of the same journal in 2026, carrying the article number 2026356.
Dr. Elisabeth Bik contacted the journal regarding the published article. Frontiers thanked Dr. Elisabeth Bik for contacting the journal regarding the published article.
The retraction notice was received and accepted on 12 October 2026, before being published on 22 October 2026. The approval for the retraction was granted by the Frontiers Editorial Office, located in Switzerland. The notice is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits the use, distribution, or reproduction of the retraction notice in other forums, provided that the original authors and copyright owner are credited.
Subject of Research: Retraction of a study on PPARGC1A and mitochondrial biogenesis in bovine embryos
Article Title: Retraction: PPARGC1A regulates transcriptional control of mitochondrial biogenesis in early bovine embryos
Article References: Frontiers Editorial Office (2026). Retraction: PPARGC1A regulates transcriptional control of mitochondrial biogenesis in early bovine embryos. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 14, Article 2026356. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2026.2026356
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2026.2026356
Keywords: retraction, bovine embryos, mitochondrial biogenesis, PPARGC1A, image integrity, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, scientific publishing, research ethics, regulates, transcriptional, control, mitochondrial
News Source: Drew Townsend. (November 9, 2026). Frontiers retracts bovine embryo mitochondrial biogenesis study. Scienmag.
