LncRNA SNHG1 promotes nasopharyngeal carcinoma development via targeting miR-424-5p

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant tumor of the head and neck. Distant metastasis and drug resistance are the main causes of cancer-related death. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that affect the progression of NPC would contribute to clinical treatment. This paper aims to investigate the effects of the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) small nucleolar RNA host gene 1 (SNHG1) on biological phenotypes of NPC cells and its related mechanisms.

The expression of SNHG1 and miR-424-5p in non-cancerous nasopharyngeal mucosa tissues and NPC tissues, as well as in normal nasopharyngeal epithelial cells and NPC cells was detected by qRT-PCR. HK1 and C666-1 cells were transfected with SNHG1 overexpression vector (OE-SNHG1), miR-424-5p mimic, SNHG1 knockdown vector (sh-SNHG1), or miR-424-5p inhibitor, followed by detection of transfection efficiency by qRT-PCR, cell viability by MTT, and invasive and migratory abilities by transwell invasion assay and cell scratch test. Moreover, the relationship between SNHG1 and miR-424-5p was detected by dual-luciferase reporter and RIP assays.

In NPC tissues and cells, SNHG1 was upregulated but miR-424-5p was downregulated. Transfection with OE-SNHG1 or miR-424-5p inhibitor promoted proliferative, invasive, and migratory phenotypes of HK1 and C666-1 cells; transfection of sh-SNHG1 or mi-miR-424-5p induced reverse trends. Mechanistically, SNHG1 negatively regulated miR-424-5p expression, and transfection of miR-424-5p inhibitor counteracted the inhibitory effects of sh-SNHG1 on the proliferative, invasive, and migratory phenotypes of HK1 and C666-1 cells.

LncRNA SNHG1 promoted proliferation, invasion and migration of NPC cells by repressing miR-424-5p expression.