miRNA-Seq profiling of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and normal control samples

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous human herpesvirus associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). EBV encodes two groups of microRNAs (miRNAs) which are divided into BamHI fragment H rightward open reading frame 1 (BHRF1) and BamHI-A rightward transcripts (BART) microRNAs. EBV miR-BARTs have been found to be involved in the development and progression of NPC. However, the role of EBV-miR-BARTs in NPC progression remains illusive. This study aimed to investigate the role of EBV-miR-BARTs in NPC and explore the underlying mechanisms. Overall design: 7 NPC biopsy specimens and 4 normal nasopharyngeal mucosal specimens were sampled. Micro-RNA were extracted from these samples, and analyzed by high throughput sequencing.