Small nucleolar RNA SNORA67 regulates DLGAP5-activated Wnt pathway to promote colorectal cancer development

Background Colorectal cancer is a malignancy with high incidence and mortality rates worldwide, posing a serious threat to human life and health.Since tumor progression is usually hidden onset and most CRCs are diagnosed at a late stage, the exploration of new biomarkers can greatly improve the early diagnosis of CRC and is crucial for treatment and prognosis. Small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA), a conserved short non-coding RNA, involves in the regulation of tumorigenesis and progression. Methods Differentially expressed SNORA67 was screened based on colorectal cancer tissue data from GEO and TCGA databases.Clinical significance of SNORA67 was investigated using Cox proportional risk model, work characteristics（ROC） and survival analysis of subjects. The biological function of SNORA67 was studied by CCK8, plate cloning, Transwell, scratch test, flow cytometry and xenotransplantation of nude mouse models.RNA-seq was designed to clarify the pathway and downstream target genes, and the underlying mechanisms were verified by PCR and WB assay analysis. Results We demonstrated that SNORA67 is highly expressed in colorectal cancer, and was a relevant marker for CRC diagnosis and prognosis. Inhibition of SNORA67 in CRC cell line can inhibit proliferation and migration in vitro, promote apoptosis, affect cell cycle and inhibit tumor growth in vivo.Mechanistically, SNORA67 activates the Wnt signaling pathway in J colorectal cancer by regulating DLGAP5.