PiR-hsa-4447944 serves as an oncogenic mediator in prostate cancer and promotes the development of castration resistance by inhibiting NEFH expression

PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) mechanistically similar but much less studied than microRNAs. Emerging evidence demonstrates that piRNAs play a vital role at the transcriptional or posttranscriptional level in the physiological and pathological processes. Although the importance of piRNAs in cancer has been increasingly recognized, the expression patterns and roles of piRNAs in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) remain unknown. To answer this question, small RNA sequencing was used to explore CRPC-associated piRNAs using 10 benign prostate tissues, and 9 paired hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (PCa) and CRPC tissues from the same patients.