IncRNA ZFAS1 contributes to the radioresistance of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells by sponging hsa-miR-7-5p to upregulate ENO2

Abstract

ABSTRACT Previous research revealed that lncRNA ZFAS1 could promote nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) by inhibiting its downstream target axis. However, the association between ZFAS1 and radioresistant NPC cells is unclear. This study aimed to explore the roles of ZFAS1 in the radioresistance of NPC. Bioinformatics analysis was conducted to identify the significant factors (ENO2 and miR-7-5p) that contributed to the radioresistance of NPC cells. After performing qRT-PCR analysis, we found that the expression of ZFAS1 and ENO2 was upregulated in NPC cells but that the miR-7-5p expression was downregulated in the same samples. Apart from that, we noticed that ZFAS1 inhibition enhanced the sensitivity of NPC cells to radiation therapy by repressing cell proliferation and promoting cell apoptosis. Subsequently, we found that ZFAS1 could sponge miR-7-5p to upregulate ENO2, which was the target of miR-7-5p. Experimental results also indicated that the suppression of miR-7-5p inhibited the sensitivity of NPC cells to radiation therapy, thereby suppressing ENO2 expression. Overall, our findings suggested that ZFAS1 contributed to the radioresistance of NPC cells by regulating the miR-7-5p/ENO2 axis and that ZFAS1 might be a potential therapeutic target for addressing the radioresistance of NPC cells.