Protein regulator of cytokinesis 1 (PRC1) has been reported in correlation with various malignancies. Functionality of PRC1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) was investigated, in perspective of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) regulatory circuitry. Aberrant expressed messenger RNA and lncRNA were screened out from the Gene Expression Omnibus microarray database. NPC cell line CNE‐2 was adopted for in vitro study and transfected with mimic or short hairpin RNA of miR‐194‐3p and PTPRG‐AS1. The radioactive sensitivity, cell viability, migration, invasion, and apoptosis were detected. PTPRG‐AS1 and PRC1 were upregulated in NPC, whereas miR‐194‐3p was downregulated. PTPRG‐AS1 was found to specifically bind to miR‐194‐3p as a competing endogenous RNA and miR‐194‐3p targets and negatively regulates PRC1. Overexpressed miR‐194‐3p or silenced PTPRG‐AS1 resulted in enhanced sensitivity to radiotherapy and cell apoptosis along with suppressed cell migration, invasion and proliferation in NPC. Furthermore, impaired tumor formation was also caused by miR‐194‐3p overexpression or PTPRG‐AS1 suppression through xenograft tumor in nude mice. In our study, PTPRG‐AS1/miR‐194‐3p/PRC1 regulatory circuitry was revealed in NPC, the mechanism of which can be of clinical significance for treatment of NPC.

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Beclin-1 plays a critical role in the regulation of autophagy, apoptosis, differentiation and the development and progression of cancer. The aim of the present investigation was to analyze the Beclin-1 protein expression and to assess its prognostic significance in tissue of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Beclin-1 protein expression in 82 primary laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and 40 paracarcinoma non-tumor tissue samples was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and correlated with clinicopathological parameters and patients' outcome. The expression of Beclin-1 in tumor tissues was significantly lower than that in non-tumor tissues (P = 0.035). Reduced Beclin-1 expression was significantly correlated with lymph node metastases (P = 0.021). Kaplan-Meier survival estimates showed a significant correlation between Beclin-1 expression and patient's survival rate (log-rank P < 0.05). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model analysis confirmed that lymph node metastases (P = 0.048) and Beclin-1 expression (P = 0.029) were statistically significant, independent prognostic factors for LSCC. Our findings suggested that decreased Beclin-1 expression and lymph node metastases, as examined by immunohistochemistry, are both independent biomarker for poor prognosis of patients with LSCC.