Retraction of Huang et al., Science 309 (5741) 1694-1696. Science 20 April 2007:
Vol. 316. no. 5823, p. 367
DOI: 10.1126/science.316.5823.367b

Retraction
We wish to retract our Research Article "The mRNA of the Arabidopsis gene FT moves from leaf to shoot apex and induces flowering" (1). After the first author (T.H.) left the Umeå Plant Science Centre for another position, analysis of his original data revealed several anomalies. It is apparent from these files that data from the real-time RT-PCR were analyzed incorrectly. Certain data points were removed, while other data points were given increased weight in the statistical analysis. When all the primary real-time RT-PCR data are subjected to correct statistical analysis, most of the reported significant differences between time points disappear. Because of this, we are retracting the paper in its entirety.
In new experiments, we have reproduced the floral induction caused by a heat-shock induction of FT in a single leaf, but we have failed to detect movement of the transgenic FT mRNA from leaf to shoot apex. We therefore retract the conclusion that FT mRNA is part of the floral inductive signal moving from leaf to shoot apex.

We deeply regret any scientific misconceptions that have resulted from the publication of these data.

The first author of the paper (T.H.) strongly objects to the retraction of the paper and has therefore declined to be an author of the retraction.

Our related Science Report on the CO/FT regulatory module in trees (2) is not affected by this Retraction. In this paper, T.H. was involved in the construction and analysis of the PtCENL1 experiments reported in the Supporting Online Material. These data have been reevaluated and found to be correctly reported.

Henrik Böhlenius
Umeå Plant Science Centre
Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
SE-90183 Umeå, Sweden

Sven Eriksson
Umeå Plant Science Centre
Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
SE-90183 Umeå, Sweden

François Parcy
Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire Végétale
Département Réponse et Dynamique Cellulaires (DRDC/PCV)
Unité Mixte de Recherche 5168 [(umr) joint research unit]
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA)
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
Université Joseph Fourier
17 rue des Martyrs, batiment C2-38054
Grenoble Cedex 9, France

Ove Nilsson
Umeå Plant Science Centre
Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
SE-90183 Umeå, Sweden

References

T. Huang, H. Böhlenius, S.Eriksson, F. Parcy, O. Nilsson, Science 309, 1694 (2005).
H. Böhlenius et al., Science 312, 1040 (2006).