Long-Non Coding RNA SNHG16 Supports Colon Cancer Cell Growth by Modulating miR-302a-3p/AKT Axis

Small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16) is reported to be involved in the tumorigenesis of various kinds of tumors. SNHG16 expression was reported to be upregulated in colon cancer, however, the underlying mechanism of how SNHG16 affects the colon cancer development remains poorly elucidated. In our study, with the aim to identify the role of SNHG16 on colon cell proliferation, SNHG16 was overexpressed or knocked down in vitro, respectively. SNHG16 overexpression accelerated colon cancer cell growth, while cell growth ability was impaired in SNHG16 silencing cells. Furthermore, the starBase database predicted that miR-302a-3p was the target gene of SNHG16, which was supported by dual luciferase assay. The effect of promoting cell proliferation ability induced by SNHG16 overexpression could be partly reversed by co-transfection of miR-302a-3p mimic. Application of the miRanda database indicated that AKT may be modulated by SNHG16, further evidenced by western blot and quantitative PCR assays. AKT overexpression could partly reverse the attenuated colon cancer cell growth caused by miR-302a-3p mimic transfection. Meanwhile, the combination of miR-302a-3p inhibitor and shAKT achieved the parallel result. In conclusion, our study revealed the SNHG16/miR-302a-3p/AKT axis might play a crucial role in colon cancer cell proliferation, thus participating in the process of colon cancer development.