Bioinformatics Analysis Reveals the Oncogenic Role and Therapeutic Potential of lncRNA SNHG25 in Colon Adenocarcinoma

Background: Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is a common digestive malignancy with limited therapies and a poor prognosis. Previous studies have highlighted lncRNAs' key role in cancer, but the exact function of lncRNA SNHG25 in COAD remains unclear. Methods: In this study, we obtained COAD transcriptome data from the UCSC Xena database, screened for differentially expressed genes, and assessed the diagnostic efficacy of SNHG25 using the DESeq2 package. Subsequently, the SNHG25 high- and low-expression groups were enriched and analyzed for immune cell infiltration characteristics and correlation with SNHG25 using the CIBERSORT and ESTIMATE algorithms. Its impact on immunotherapy and drug sensitivity was assessed by combining TIDE with oncoPredict database. The target mRNAs were further screened by Encori platform and potential target drugs were predicted using molecular docking technology. Finally, qRT-PCR, CCK-8, wound healing, and transwell assays were used to assess the mRNA expression levels and potential biological functions of SNHG25. Results: SNHG25 expression level was upregulated in COAD samples, and the ROC curve showed the area under curve (AUC) value = 0.937, revealing its strong diagnostic ability. Functional enrichment analysis showed that its high expression was associated with activation of oxidative phosphorylation pathway, while low expression was enriched in apoptosis and immune-related signaling pathways. Immune infiltration analysis showed that SNHG25 was significantly associated with a variety of immune cell subtypes (e.g., macrophages and neutrophils) and might be involved in the remodeling of the tumor immune microenvironment. ZMYND8 was identified as a key downstream mRNA target (AUC = 0.811), and three potential therapeutic drugs-demecolcine, piroxicam, and vorinostat-were predicted based on DSigDB screening and validated by molecular docking, with binding energies of -6.48, -7.15, and -5.39 kcal/mol, respectively. Finally, in vitro cellular assays confirmed that SNHG25 expression was elevated in COAD cell lines (p < 0.0001), and its knockdown significantly suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Conclusion: This study highlights that SNHG25 is highly expressed in COAD and promotes tumor progression through multiple mechanisms, advancing research and treatment strategies for this malignancy.