Table3.XLSX

Abstract

Introduction: tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs), a class of small non-coding RNAs, is divided into two categories: tRNA related fragments (tRFs) and tRNA halves (tiRNAs). Abnormal expression of tsRNAs has been found in diverse cancers, which indicates that further understanding of the function of tsRNAs will help identify new biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets. Until now, the underlying roles of tsRNAs in primary nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) are still unknown. Methods: tRFs & tiRNAs sequencing was performed on four pairs of NPC tissues and healthy controls. Thirty pairs of NPC samples were used for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) verification, and the ROC analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency initially. Targets prediction and bioinformatics analysis of validated tRFs & tiRNAs were conducted to explore the mechanisms of tsRNAs in NPC’s pathogenesis. Results: A total of 158 differentially expressed tRFs & tiRNAs were identified, of which 88 are up-regulated and 70 are down-regulated in NPC. Three validated tRFs in the results of qRT-PCR were consistent with the sequencing data: two up-regulation (tRF-1:28-Val-CAC-2, tRF-1:24-Ser-CGA-1-M3), and one down-regulation (tRF-55:76-Arg-ACG-1-M2). The GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that the potential target genes of validated tRFs are widely enriched in cancer pathways. The related modules may play an essential role in the pathogenesis of NPC. Conclusions: The tsRNAs may become a novel class of biological diagnostic indicators and possible targets for NPC.