Transcriptome sequencing of HCT116 cells with shRNA-silenced NETO2 gene

The NETO2 gene (neuropilin and tolloid-like 2) encodes for a protein with predominant expression in the brain that acts as an accessory subunit of kainate receptors. Up-regulation of NETO2 has been found in many tumors, however, its role in tumorigenesis remains unclear. In this work, we investigated the effect of NETO2 silencing on transcriptome changes in colorectal cancer cells. We found both increase and decrease in the NETO2 mRNA level in tested tumors and observed no correlations with the main clinicopathologic characteristics. NETO2 knockdown in human colorectal cancer cells resulted in differential expression of 17 genes and 2 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and was associated with the up-regulation of circadian rhythm and down-regulation of several cancer-associated pathways, such as Wnt, TGF-beta, Jak-STAT, MAPK, and PI3K-Akt.