MicroRNA-206 inhibits tumor metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma through targeting G6PD.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a main type of otolaryngological malignancy. In many cancers, miR-206 functions as a tumor suppressor, suppressing cell proliferation, migration and invasion. The purpose of this study was to explore how miR-206 worked on cell metastasis in NPC. The mRNA levels of miR-206 and G6PD were determined in NPC tissues and cell lines by RT-qPCR and Western blot. Transwell assay was applied to evaluate the migratory and invasive capacities. Dual luciferase reporter assay was employed to confirm that miR-206 mediated the expression of G6PD in C666-1 cells. In this study, miR- 206 was downregulated, whereas G6PD was upregulated in NPC tissues and cell lines. In addition, G6PD was identified as a direct target gene of miR-206 in C666-1 cells. The expression of G6PD was mediated by miR-206, which could partially reverse the inhibitory effects of miR-206 on the migration, invasion and EMT in C666-1 cells. In conclusion, miR-206 regulated the migratory, invasive and EMT abilities through directly targeting the 3'-UTR of G6PD mRNA in C666-1 cells. The newly identified miR-206/G6PD axis provides novel insight into the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.