Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 2, 2026

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Transmembrane Protein Family-Related Markers in Gastric Cancer and Implications for Targeted Therapies
Published on: September 15, 2023
SNHG7 accelerates cell migration and invasion through regulating miR-34a-Snail-EMT axis in gastric cancer
Yangmei Zhang1,2, Yuan Yuan2, Youwei Zhang2
1Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Abstract:
Small nucleolar RNA host gene 7 (SNHG7) is a newly recognized oncogenic Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in most human cancers. In gastric cancer, SNHG7 has been suggested to enhance cell proliferation and suppressed apoptosis through down-regulating P15 and P16 expression, but the effect of SNHG7 on gastric cancer cell migration and invasion was still unknown. In our study, we aimed to estimate the relationship between SNHG7 expression and clinical and pathological characteristics, and explore the effect of SNHG7 on gastric cancer cell migration and invasion. In our study, the levels of SNHG7 expression in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines were severally higher than in normal adjacent tissues and gastric mucosal epithelial cells. Moreover, high SNHG7 expression was positively correlated with TNM stage, depth of invasion, lymph-node metastasis and distant metastasis in gastric cancer patients. Furthermore, the multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis further showed high SNHG7 expression was an independent poor prognostic factor for overall survival in gastric cancer patients. The studies in vitro revealed that SNHG7 directly binds to miR-34a and negatively regulates miR-34a expression, and SNHG7 enhances gastric cancer cell migration and invasion through suppressing miR-34a-Snail-EMT axis. In conclusion, SNHG7 functions as oncogenic lncRNA in gastric cancer and may be a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer patients.Abbreviations: lncRNA: Long non-coding RNA; SNHG7: Small nucleolar RNA host gene 7; EMT: Epithelial mesenchymal transition; TNM: Tumor-Lymph Node-Metastasis.
Insights
Small nucleolar RNA host gene 7 (SNHG7) is an oncogenic long non-coding RNA in gastric cancer. High SNHG7 expression correlates with advanced disease and poor prognosis, promoting cell migration and invasion via the miR-34a-Snail-EMT pathway.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Small nucleolar RNA host gene 7 (SNHG7) is an emerging oncogenic long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) implicated in various human cancers.
- Previous research suggested SNHG7 promotes gastric cancer cell proliferation and inhibits apoptosis by downregulating P15 and P16.
- The role of SNHG7 in gastric cancer cell migration and invasion remained largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between SNHG7 expression and clinical-pathological features in gastric cancer.
- To elucidate the functional impact of SNHG7 on gastric cancer cell migration and invasion.
- To explore the underlying molecular mechanism involving SNHG7, miR-34a, and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) axis.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative real-time PCR was used to assess SNHG7 expression levels in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines compared to normal controls.
- Statistical analyses, including correlation studies and multivariate Cox regression, were performed to link SNHG7 expression with clinical parameters and patient survival.
- In vitro assays were conducted to evaluate the effects of SNHG7 on cell migration and invasion, and its interaction with miR-34a was investigated.
Main Results:
- SNHG7 expression was significantly elevated in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines compared to normal tissues and cells.
- High SNHG7 expression was positively associated with advanced TNM stage, deeper tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis.
- Multivariate analysis identified high SNHG7 expression as an independent predictor of poor overall survival in gastric cancer patients.
- In vitro studies demonstrated that SNHG7 directly binds to and suppresses miR-34a, thereby enhancing gastric cancer cell migration and invasion through the miR-34a-Snail-EMT pathway.
Conclusions:
- SNHG7 acts as an oncogenic lncRNA in gastric cancer, promoting cell migration and invasion.
- SNHG7 expression levels are significantly correlated with adverse clinical and pathological characteristics and poor prognosis.
- The SNHG7/miR-34a/Snail/EMT axis represents a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer treatment.
Related Concept Videos
Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia
Cell Migration
Cell Migration
Small GTPases - Ras and Rho
Three regulatory proteins control their activity:
Metastasis
Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT is a developmental process commonly observed in wound healing, embryogenesis, and cancer metastasis. EMT is induced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) or receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) ligands, which further...
Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...

