Background: Esophageal cancer (ESCA) is one of the most aggressive and lethal human malignant cancers. It is associated with poor overall survival (OS) and ranks sixth among the causes of cancer-related mortalities. MiR-1301-3p plays vital roles in a majority of malignancies. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between miR-1301-3p/NBL1 axis and prognosis of ESCA patients.Methods: We compared the miR-1301-3p expression levels between ESCA and normal esophageal tissues using MiRNAseq data retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We employed UALCAN web platform, starBase v3.0 database, R software and GEPIA web platform to perform statistical analysis and data visualization. We then used TargetScan Human, miRDB and DIANA Tools databases to predict the miR-1301-3p target genes. Finally, we analyzed the expression patterns of the target genes as well as their prognostic value in ESCA.Results: There was an overexpression of miR-1301-3p in most malignancies, including ESCA (P<0.001). The miR-1301-3p expression levels were significantly related to age and histologic grade in primary ESCA (P<0.05), with high expression of miR-1301-3p being significantly associated with poor prognosis (Hazard ratio [HR]=1.88, P=0.012). NBL1 was identified as a potential target gene for miR-1301-3p and a negatively correlation in expression levels between the two genes was observed (r=-0.282, P<0.001). Notably, NBL1 was significantly downregulated in ESCA (P<0.001) and its low expression was significantly associated with poor prognosis of ESCA patients (HR=0.53, P=0.0063).Conclusion: miR-1301-3p is a potential biomarker for predicting prognosis of ESCA patients. It may regulate ESCA progression by regulating NBL1 expression.

Background: Esophageal cancer (ESCA) is one of the most aggressive and lethal human malignant cancers. It is associated with poor overall survival (OS) and ranks sixth among the causes of cancer-related mortalities. MiR-1301-3p plays vital roles in a majority of malignancies. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between miR-1301-3p/NBL1 axis and prognosis of ESCA patients.Methods: We compared the miR-1301-3p expression levels between ESCA and normal esophageal tissues using MiRNAseq data retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We employed UALCAN web platform, starBase v3.0 database, R software and GEPIA web platform to perform statistical analysis and data visualization. We then used TargetScan Human, miRDB and DIANA Tools databases to predict the miR-1301-3p target genes. Finally, we analyzed the expression patterns of the target genes as well as their prognostic value in ESCA.Results: There was an overexpression of miR-1301-3p in most malignancies, including ESCA (P<0.001). The miR-1301-3p expression levels were significantly related to age and histologic grade in primary ESCA (P<0.05), with high expression of miR-1301-3p being significantly associated with poor prognosis (Hazard ratio [HR]=1.88, P=0.012). NBL1 was identified as a potential target gene for miR-1301-3p and a negatively correlation in expression levels between the two genes was observed (r=-0.282, P<0.001). Notably, NBL1 was significantly downregulated in ESCA (P<0.001) and its low expression was significantly associated with poor prognosis of ESCA patients (HR=0.53, P=0.0063).Conclusion: miR-1301-3p is a potential biomarker for predicting prognosis of ESCA patients. It may regulate ESCA progression by regulating NBL1 expression.