Epstein-Barr virus encoded miR-BART11 promotes inflammation-induced carcinogenesis by targeting FOXP1

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and chronic inflammation are closely associated with the development and progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and gastric cancer (GC), and the infiltration of inflammatory cells, including tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), is often observed in these cancers. EBV encodes 44 mature micro RNAs (miRNAs), but the roles of only a few EBV-encoded miRNA targets are known in cancer development, and here, our aim was to elucidate the effects of EBV-miR-BART11 on FOXP1 expression, and potential involvement in inflammation-induced carcinogenesis. We constructed an EBV miRNA-dependent gene regulatory network and predicted that EBV-miR-BART11 is able to target forkhead box P1 (FOXP1), a key molecule involved in monocyte to macrophage differentiation. Here, using luciferase reporter assay, we confirmed that EBV-miR-BART11 directly targets the 3'-untranslated region of FOXP1 gene, inhibits FOXP1 induction of TAM differentiation, and the secretion of inflammatory cytokines into the tumor microenvironment, inducing the proliferation of NPC and GC cells. FOXP1 overexpression hindered monocyte differentiation and inhibited NPC and GC cells growth. Our results demonstrated that EBV-miR-BART11 plays a crucial role in the promotion of inflammation-induced NPC and GC carcinogenesis by inhibiting FOXP1 tumor-suppressive effects. We showed a novel EBV-dependent mechanism that may induce the carcinogenesis of NPC and GC, which may help define new potential biomarkers and targets for NPC and GC diagnosis and treatment.