Long noncoding RNA SOX2-OT facilitates prostate cancer cell proliferation and migration via miR-369-3p/CFL2 axis

Accepted as crucial participators in human malignancies, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been proven to exert significant function on the complicated processes of cancer progression. Although existing investigations have revealed the oncogenic role of lncRNA SOX2 overlapping transcript (SOX2-OT) in different kinds of cancers, such as osteosarcoma and cholangiocarcinoma, the potential role of it in prostate cancer (PC) is poorly understood. This study was the first attempt to decipher the underlying regulatory mechanism of SOX2-OT in PC. According to the data from this study, SOX2-OT expression was conspicuously elevated in PC tissues and cells. Silenced SOX2-OT could repress PC cell proliferation and migration. Besides, mechanism assays manifested that SOX2-OT bound with miR-369-3p and negatively correlated with miR-369-3p in PC. Additionally, miR-369-3p was confirmed to elicit suppressive impact on PC progression. What’s more, cofilin 2 (CFL2) was testified to be a downstream target gene of miR-369-3p. Final rescue tests uncovered that CFL2 upregulation or miR-369-3p inhibition could largely restore SOX2-OT knockdown-mediated function on PC progression. To sum up, SOX2-OT accelerates cell proliferation and migration by targeting miR-369-3p/CFL2 axis in PC.