MicroRNA-19b-3p regulates nasopharyngeal carcinoma radiosensitivity by targeting TNFAIP3/NF-κB axis

BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is among the most common squamous cell carcinoma in South China and Southeast Asia. Radiotherapy is the primary treatment for NPC. However, radioresistance acts as a significant factor that limits the efficacy of radiotherapy for NPC patients. Growing evidence supports that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in radiation response. METHODS: Real-time quantitative PCR was used to analyze the expression of miR-19b-3p in NPC cell lines and NP69. miR-19b-3p expression profiles in NPC tissues were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The effect of miR-19b-3p on radiosensitivity was evaluated by cell viability assays, colony formation assays and in vivo experiment. Apoptosis and cell cycle were examined by flow cytometry. Luciferase reporter assay was used to assess the target genes of miR-19b-3p. Expression of target proteins and downstream molecules were analyzed by Western blot. RESULTS: miR-19b-3p was upregulated in NPC and served as an independent predictor for reduced patient survival. Radioresponse assays showed that miR-19b-3p overexpression resulted in decreased sensitivity to irradiation, whereas miR-19b-3p downregulation resulted in increased sensitivity to irradiation in vitro. Moreover, miR-19b-3p decreased the sensitivity of NPC cells to irradiation in vivo. Luciferase reporter assay confirmed that TNFAIP3 was a direct target gene of miR-19b-3p. Knockdown of TNFAIP3 reduced sensitivity to irradiation, whereas upregulation of TNFAIP3 expression reversed the inhibitory effects of miR-19b-3p on NPC cell radiosensitivity. Mechanistically, we found that miR-19b-3p increased NPC cell radioresistance by activating the TNFAIP3/ NF-κB axis. CONCLUSIONS: miR-19b-3p contributes to the radioresistance of NPC by activating the TNFAIP3/ NF-κB axis. miR-19b-3p is a determinant of NPC radioresponse and may serve as a potential therapeutic target in NPC treatment. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13046-016-0465-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.