As compared with an immortalized normal nasopharyngeal epithelial cell line (NP69), 6 NPC cell lines (CNE1, CNE2, HONE1, HK1, 5-8 F and 6-10 B) showed reduced mRNA level of HMGCL (Fig. 1b). The gene discussed is HMGCL; the disease is nasopharyngeal carcinoma.