Abstract
The competing endogenous RNA hypothesis offers new insights into tumour progression, yet its role in posttreatment nasopharyngeal carcinoma relapse remains unclear. This study constructed ceRNA networks to identify molecular markers associated with NPC relapse. Three pairs of primary and relapse NPC tissue samples, along with their matched adjacent tissues, were collected for the RNA and miRNA sequencing, screened and identified relapse-related specific differentially expressed genes. We identified relapse-specific differentially expressed genes and functional analyses revealed enrichment in translation, biosynthesis, metabolism, TCA cycle, cell cycle, p53 signalling and immune pathways. Then these relapse-associated differentially expressed mRNAs, lncRNAs, and miRNAs were utilised to construct regulatory networks, resulting in a ceRNA network comprising 813 mRNAs, 143 lncRNAs, and 24 miRNAs, along with a survival-associated subnetwork of 23 mRNAs. Key mRNAs, such as UBC, PLA2R1, PTPRO, SMC5, PFN2, TIMM17B, NT5E and PCSK5, were validated via qPCR in NPC cell lines and tissues. To our knowledge, this is the first study to construct a comprehensive ceRNA network specifically for posttreatment recurrent NPC. These findings highlight the ceRNA network as a valuable framework for elucidating the mechanisms of NPC relapse and for identifying potential biomarkers for prognosis and therapeutic targets in recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma.