@article{TCR122227,
author = {Qiulin Liang and Changxing Cao and Ziling Zou and Yulan Peng and Chao Feng},
title = {Transcriptomic and experimental validation identify biomarkers and regulatory mechanisms associated with the aryl hydrocarbon receptor in nasopharyngeal carcinoma},
journal = {Translational Cancer Research},
volume = {15},
number = {7},
year = {2026},
keywords = {},
abstract = {Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant tumor of the nasopharyngeal mucosal epithelium. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)—a widely distributed nuclear receptor regulating adaptive adverse responses—is confirmed carcinogenic upon activation. Thus, this study aims to identify novel biomarkers for NPC treatment.Methods: Relevant data were obtained from public databases. Biomarkers were developed through the application of differential expression analysis, univariate Cox regression, and machine learning algorithms. Molecular mechanisms were then explored through immune infiltration and molecular regulatory networks. Additionally, the drug sensitivity analysis revealed potential differences in sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs. The experimental verification was conducted using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).Results: Cholinergic receptor nicotinic beta 2 subunit (CHRNB2), adenylate cyclase 4 (ADCY4), and cell division cycle 6 (CDC6) were identified as biomarkers. CHRNB2 and CDC6 were highly expressed, while ADCY4 was lowly expressed in NPC. ADCY4 showed a significant positive correlation with plasmacytoid dendritic cells [correlation coefficient (cor) =0.48, P},
issn = {2219-6803}, url = {https://tcr.amegroups.org/article/view/122227}
}