SNORA71A Promotes Colorectal Cancer Cell Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion.

Zhengxiang Zhang,Juan Cai,Hao Li,Yunxiang Tao,Xiaobing Ye,Qingling Hua,Fengjie Sun

doi:10.1155/2020/8284576

Abstract

Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) play a crucial role during colorectal cancer (CRC) development. The study of SNORA71A is few, and its role in CRC is unknown. This study focused on screening abnormal snoRNAs in CRC and exploring the role of key snoRNA in CRC. The expression pattern of snoRNAs in 3 CRC and 3 normal colon tissues was detected via small RNA sequencing. The six candidate snoRNAs were identified by quantitative PCR (qPCR). Subsequently, the expression level of SNORA71A was further verified through the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data analysis and qPCR. The CCK8 and transwell assays were used to detect the functional role of SNORA71A in CRC cells. The integrated analysis of snoRNA expression profile indicated that a total 107 snoRNAs were significantly differentially expressed (DE) in CRC tissues compared with normal tissues, including 45 upregulated and 62 downregulated snoRNAs. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the DE snoRNAs were mainly implicated in “detection of chemical stimulus involved in sensory perception of smell” and “sensory perception of smell” in the biological process. The DE snoRNAs were preferentially enriched in “olfactory transduction” and “glycosphingolipid biosynthesis-ganglio series pathway.” The expression of SNORA71A was upregulated in CRC tissues and cells. SNORA71A expression showed statistically significant correlations with TNM stage (P = 0.0196) and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.0189) and can serve as biomarkers for CRC. Importantly, SNORA71A significantly facilitated the CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Our findings indicate that SNORA71A screened by sequencing acted as an oncogene and promoted proliferation, migration, and invasion ability of CRC cells.

Highlights

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common types of human cancers with approximately 1800 thousands of new cases each year and >860,000 deaths worldwide [1]
To explore abnormally expressed snoRNAs in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues compared to normal tissues, we conducted small RNA sequencing
Compared to the normal colon tissues, large perturbations of the snoRNA profile were identified from the CRC tissues via deep sequencing. we found 107 differentially expressed (DE) snoRNAs that were significantly changed, 45 DE snoRNAs were significantly upregulated, and 62 were significantly downregulated (Supplementary 1) (Figure 1(a))

Summary

Introduction

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common types of human cancers with approximately 1800 thousands of new cases each year and >860,000 deaths worldwide [1]. The CRC has increased morbidity and mortality rapidly in recent years, with high mortality rates (2007-2016) of 35%, 45%, and 47.8% in the USA, Europe, and worldwide, respectively [1, 2] (European Cancer Information [3]). The epigenetic changes and altered expression of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) have important pathophysiological roles in the initiation and progression of CRC and lead to disease metastasis [7, 8]. An extensive body of research show that ncRNAs regulate epithelial proliferation checkpoints, epithelial-mesenchymal metastasis, and inflammatory gene expression in CRC [9]. LncRNA GAS5 regulates the upstream P53 involving CRC cell cycle arrest [10]. The decreased miR-34a can enhance TGFβ signaling and tumor CRC cell invasion and promote EMT [11]. The decreased miR-34a can enhance TGFβ signaling and tumor CRC cell invasion and promote EMT [11]. lncRNA NEAT1 enhances IL-6 expression through activating the JNK1/2 and ERK1/2 signaling cascade

Methods

Results

Conclusion