Abstract
To screen microRNAs (miRNAs) and analyze their role in the nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) development through differential analysis and cytological validation of the nasopharyngeal carcinoma dataset. The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database of NPC-related data were utilized to screen for differential miRNAs, downstream target genes and relevant pathways, and the relationships among them were verified by luciferase reporter assay and cell co-culture. To analyze the function of miRNAs and downstream target genes, a series of mimics, inhibitors or Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting the downstream target genes were transfected into NPC cells or normal epithelial cells by cell transfection techniques. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8), Transwell, Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) apoptosis, and western blotting were adopted to determine the changes in cell activity, invasiveness, and apoptosis after differential miRNA and target gene overexpression or downregulation. Differential analysis of miRNA dataset showed that the expression of miR-26b was significantly downregulated in NPC, in agreement with the validation results of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines. And downregulation of miR-26b expression in normal nasopharyngeal epithelial cells transformed the cells to tumors. CEP135 was identified as the miR-26b downstream target gene by mRNA dataset analysis, and a luciferase reporter test revealed a direct targeting link between the two. Upregulation of CEP135 levels in nasopharyngeal cancer cell lines increased cell activity, accelerated cell migration, and inhibited apoptosis. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis revealed that CEP135 exerted the above effects on cells via the NF-κB pathway, and co-culture with NF-κB pathway blockers reversed cell biological behavior to the level of the control group. MiR-26b downregulation leads to CEP135 overexpression and NF-κB pathway activation in NPC, which enhances proliferation, migration, and prevents apoptosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. Therefore, the study further clarifies the biological behavior mechanism of NPC and suggests new therapeutic options for NPC.