Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) originates in the epithelial cells of the nasopharynx and is a common malignant tumor in southern China and Southeast Asia. Metastasis of NPC remains the main cause of death for NPC patients even though the tumor is sensitive to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Here, we found that the transmembrane protein tetraspanin1 (TSPAN1) potently inhibited the in vitro migration and invasion, as well as, the in vivo metastasis of NPC cells via interacting with the IKBB protein. In addition, TSPAN1 was essential in preventing the overactivation of the NF-kB pathway in TSPAN1 overexpressing NPC cells. Furthermore, reduced TSPAN1 expression was associated with NPC metastasis and the poor prognosis of NPC patients. These results uncovered the suppressive role of TSPAN1 against NF-kB signaling in NPC cells for preventing NPC metastasis. Its therapeutic value warrants further investigation.

鼻咽癌（NPC）起源于鼻咽部的上皮细胞，是我国南方和东南亚地区常见的恶性肿瘤。尽管肿瘤对放疗和化疗敏感，但鼻咽癌的转移仍然是鼻咽癌患者死亡的主要原因。在此，我们发现跨膜蛋白tetraspanin1（TSPAN1）通过与IKBB蛋白相互作用，有效抑制鼻咽癌细胞的体外迁移和侵袭以及体内转移。此外，TSPAN1 对于防止 TSPAN1 过表达的 NPC 细胞中 NF-kB 通路的过度激活至关重要。此外，TSPAN1表达降低与鼻咽癌转移和鼻咽癌患者的不良预后相关。这些结果揭示了 TSPAN1 对 NPC 细胞中 NF-kB 信号传导的抑制作用，从而预防 NPC 转移。其治疗价值值得进一步研究。