Box C/D SNORD116-17 promotes prostate cancer progression by targeting the miR-206/E2F5 axis

Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are single-stranded non-coding RNAs found in eukaryotic nucleolus, and their aberrant expression is closely related to tumorigenesis. Box C/D SNORD116-17, a member of SNORD116 cluster, is highly expressed in prostate cancer tissues, though its biological function in this malignancy remains uncharacterized. Here, we found that SNORD116-17 is evident, stable, and highly expressed in prostate cancer cells and that its overexpression significantly promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells. Bioinformatics prediction, RIP, RNA dot blot, and RNA-protein pulldown experiments revealed that miR-206 interacted with SNORD116-17, forming a complex with Argonaute 2. Subsequently, PCR and western blot experiments revealed that both miR-206 and SNORD116-17 regulated the expression of E2F transcription factor 5 (E2F5), a commonly studied oncogene in prostate cancer. In summary, SNORD116-17 contributes to prostate cancer progression by sponging with miR-206 through the ceRNA mechanism and upregulating the expression of E2F5.