Human/eukaryotic ribosomal protein L14 (RPL14/eL14) overexpression represses proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT process in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Although human/eukaryotic ribosomal protein L14 (RPL14/eL14) is known to be associated with a variety of cancers, its role in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of RPL14(eL14) in NPC. The results of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), western blot, and immunohistochemical staining revealed that the expression of RPL14(eL14) significantly reduced in NPC tissues and cells. Furthermore, the protein expression of RPL14(eL14) was linked to NPC-related clinical pathological features, including the T and N classification of Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) staging (all p < 0.05). Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and colony formation assay revealed that RPL14(eL14) overexpression repressed NPC cell proliferation. In cell cycle assay, RPL14(eL14) overexpression significantly blocked NPC cells in S phase. Overexpression of RPL14(eL14) repressed cell migration and invasion in NPC as shown by transwell assay and cell scratch healing assay. In addition, RPL14(eL14) was closely correlated with the expression of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) biomarkers, including E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and vimentin as detected by western blot. In conclusion, our results revealed that RPL14(eL14) may be considered as an antioncogene in NPC, which greatly suppresses cancer progression.