Objective To investigate the effect of ［poly（ADP-ribose）polymerase-1，PARP-1］ on migration and invasion by nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line CNE-2. Methods The cells were divided into a blank control group （CNE-2 group），negative virus control group （NC group），silenced PARP-1 group （LV group） and non-irradiated group（CNE-2-0 Gy group）. Four groups of cultures were scratched and added to the transwell chamber before irradiation. The migration rate，the number of cells penetrating into the lower chamber，and the expression of PARP-1 and Vimentin were detected at 48 h after administration of 10 Gy X-ray irradiation，while the CNE-2-0 Gy group received 0 Gy. Results The migration rates of the CNE-2，NC，LV and CNE-2-0 Gy groups were，respectively，（79.37±5.75）%，（70.13±6.56）%，（20.83±10.91）% and（27.13±7.50）%. The numbers of cells in these groups that migrated into the lower chamber were 60.00±2.66，52.33±9.71，13.67±3.51 and 23.33±4.04. The number of invasive cells were 33.00±2.00，29.00±1.72， 6.67±2.52 and 9.67±1.16. The relative expression levels of PARP-1 were 1.00±0.00，1.02±0.04，0.47±0.05 and 0.47±0.06. The rela-tive expression levels of Vimentin were 1.00±0.00，0.99±0.04，0.24±0.02 and and 0.27±0.03 at 48 h after irradiation. The LV group showed significantly lower migration rate than the CNE-2 and NC groups，and it showed lower numbers of migrating and invasive cells，as well as lower relative expression of PARP-1 and Vimentin （P<0.05）. There was no significant difference between the LV and CNE-2-0 Gy groups. Conclusion The activation of PARP-1 after irradiation may promote migration and invasion by nasopharyngeal carcinoma CNE-2 cells.
