Background: Colorectal adenocarcinoma (CRA) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the world. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated to be effective regulators in the disease course of human cancers, including CRA. Small nucleolar RNA host gene 17 (SNHG17) belongs to lncRNAs, and it has been reported in breast cancer and gastric cancer. However, the function of SNHG17 and its mechanism in CRA progression remain largely unknown. In this study, we attended to shedding some light on the role of SNHG17 in CRA.
Methods: RT-qPCR was used to assess SNHG17 expression in CRA cells. CCK-8 assay, colony formation and transwell assay were carried out to detect the regulatory effect of SNHG17 silencing on CRA cell proliferation and migration. The angiogenesis of SNHG7-downregulated CRA cells was analyzed by tube formation assay. Mechanism experiments were conducted to identify the interaction between miR-23a-3p and SNHG17 or C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12).
Results: SNHG17 possessed with high expression in CRA cells. Knockdown of SNHG17 caused the inhibition on CRA cell proliferation and migration. SNHG17 promoted CRA cell proliferation and migration by sponging miR-23a-3p to upregulate CXCL12.
Conclusion: SNHG17 promotes the proliferation and migration of CRA cells by inhibiting miR-23a-3p to modulate CXCL12-mediated angiogenesis.
Keywords: Angiogenesis; CXCL12; Colorectal adenocarcinoma; SNHG17; miR-23a-3p.