Critical Falsifiability / Methodology Review: 'The testis-speciﬁc gene SfGSTe11 regulates eupyrene sperm morphogenesis and is indispensable for male reproduction in a global pest, Spodoptera frugiperda' (Pest Management Science, 2026; DOI: 10.1002/ps.70871)

Academic fraud report · Geng Detector

Summary

Verdict: Highly suspicious on methodological grounds; data integrity largely undetermined due to lack of image files. The study reports CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis of SfGSTe11 in Spodoptera frugiperda and unusually proceeds to all downstream phenotypic and transcriptomic analyses on G0 mosaic adults rather than G1/G2 homozygotes, claiming ~100% of 20 randomly selected G0 adults carried mutations. Direct use of G0 mosaics is a major methodological flaw in Lepidoptera, likely inflating variance (PCA PC1 = 56.95% may reflect this). Additionally, Section 2.6 contains an internal contradiction: sperm are released into 100 µL PBS in one sentence and 400 µL in the next, undermining the reported 64.3% sperm reduction. The paper also follows a near-identical publication template used by the same group in 2025 (refs 29, 36). Pixel-level image analysis was not possible. Overall confidence in the verdict is moderate; findings need raw data and images for verification.

Verdict

Highly suspicious. The principal concerns are severe methodological inconsistencies and logical flaws in experimental design. No direct evidence of data fabrication was detected, but the described practices are insufficient to support the quantitative claims made.

Key findings

Use of G0 mosaics for all downstream analyses: Section 3.3 explicitly states "This prompted us to use G0 mutants for subsequent analyses." Using G0 mosaic adults for quantitative phenotyping and RNA-seq in Lepidoptera is a recognized methodological flaw, because somatic and germline tissues carry heterogeneous indel mosaics. The reported PCA figures (PC1 = 56.95%, PC2 = 13.52%) are consistent with the high inter-individual variance expected from pooled mosaics.
Implausible 100% mutation rate in G0: The claim that 20 randomly selected G0 adults all carried the expected mutation is atypical for NHEJ-dominated insect CRISPR editing and warrants raw Sanger chromatograms for verification.
Internal methodological contradiction: Section 2.6 states sperm were released into 100 µL PBS, then in the next sentence into 400 µL PBS. This inconsistency directly undermines the reliability of the reported 64.3% total sperm reduction.
Repetitive publication pattern: Two cited references (Ref 29, Wang P. 2025, Pest Manag Sci; Ref 36, Zhao Y. 2025, Insect Biochem Mol Biol) follow the same narrative template (testis-specific gene → CRISPR knockout → ~20% hatch rate → ~64% sperm reduction → transcriptomic pathway enrichment). This does not prove misconduct but indicates a rigid, potentially automated production pattern.

Evidence highlights

DOI: 10.1002/ps.70871
Direct quote (Section 3.3): "This prompted us to use G0 mutants for subsequent analyses."
PCA values: PC1 = 56.95%, PC2 = 13.52%
Section 2.6 contradiction: 100 µL PBS vs. 400 µL PBS in adjacent sentences
Reported phenotypic effect: 64.3% reduction in total sperm count
Hatch rate claim: ~20% in mutant crosses
Related same-group papers: Wang P. 2025 (Pest Manag Sci, Ref 29); Zhao Y. 2025 (Insect Biochem Mol Biol, Ref 36)

Notes

Image-level analysis (Figure 1–Figure 6) was not possible because only annotated PDF text was available; no pixel-level checks for splicing, noise patterns, or duplicated panels could be performed.
The chimeric nature of G0 individuals means individual-level variation in mutation spectra is expected; pooling these for RNA-seq is statistically problematic.
Confidence in the methodological flaws is high (text-based). Confidence in any intent to fabricate is low; genuine experimental sloppiness or overselling of preliminary data is an equally plausible explanation.
Recommended actions: request original G0 Sanger traces, request G1/G2 homozygote validation data, and raise the Section 2.6 volume contradiction on PubPeer for clarification.