Long non-coding RNAs and mRNAs in nasopharyngeal carcinoma metastasis

Increasing evidence has demonstrated a significant role for long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tumorigenesis. However, their functions in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) metastasis remain largely unknown. In this study, a model compared high and low metastatic NPC cell lines (5-8F vs. 6-10B and S18 vs. S26)was constructed to determine the expression profile of lncRNAs using the microarray analysis, and we found 167 lncRNAs and 209 mRNAs were differentially expressed. Validationof 26 significantly dysregulated lncRNAs by qRT-PCR showed the expression patterns of 22 lncRNAs were in accordance with the microarray data. Furthermore, the expression level of ENST00000470135, which was the most upregulated lncRNA in high metastatic cell lines, was significantly higher in NPC cell lines and tissues with lymph node metastasis（LNM）and knocking down ENST00000470135 suppressed the migration, invasion and proliferation of NPC cells in vitro. In conclusion, our study revealed expression patterns of lncRNAs in NPC metastasis. The dysregulated lncRNAs may act as novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for NPC. Total RNA recovered from two sets of cell lines (5-8F vs. 6-10B and S18 vs. S26) were used to acquire different expression profiles of mRNAs and lncRNAs in high metastatic potential and low metastatic potential nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines.