Down regulation of lactotransferrin enhanced radio-sensitivity of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

•Patients with low LTF expression had a poor prognosis.•LTF might interaction with DUSP1, PPARGC1A, FOS and SMARCA1.•42 target genes of miR-214 were cross-linked to radiotherapy sensitivity.•Down regulation of lactotransferrin enhanced radio-sensitivity of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. It is reported that LTF had a radiation resistance effect, and its expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) was significantly down-regulated. However, the mechanism of down-regulated LTF affecting the sensitivity of radiotherapy has remained elusive. We re-analyzed the microarray data GSE36972 and GSE48503 to find differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in NPC cell line 5−8 F transfected with LTF or vector control, and the DEGs between radio-resistant and radio-sensitive NPC cell lines. Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment and protein-protein interaction network (PPI) analysis of DEGs were performed to obtain the node genes. The target genes of miR-214 were also predicted to complement the mechanism associated with radiotherapy resistance because it could directly target LTF. This study identified 1190 and 1279 DEGs, respectively. GO and KEGG analysis showed that apoptotic process and proliferation, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway were significantly enriched pathways. Four nodes (DUSP1, PPARGC1A, FOS and SMARCA1) associated with LTF were screened. And 42 target genes of miR-214 were cross-linked to radiotherapy sensitivity. The present study demonstrates the possible molecular mechanism that the down-regulated LTF enhances the radiosensitivity of NPC cells through interaction with DUSP1, PPARGC1A, FOS and SMARCA1, and miR-214 as its superior negative regulator may play a role in regulating the radiotherapy effect.