Long non-coding RNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 7 facilitates the proliferation, migration, and invasion of esophageal cancer cells by regulating microRNA-625.

Abstract

Esophageal cancer (EC) is a highly aggressive malignant tumor, of which esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) constitutes the main subtype. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) small nucleolar RNA host gene 7 (SNHG7) has been extensively studied in many tumors and has been confirmed to be an oncogene; however, it has yet to be investigated in an ESCC study. Therefore, this study intended to uncover the role of SNHG7 in ESCC. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was applied to measure the expression levels of SNHG7 and miR-625 in ESCC tumor tissues and cell lines. Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine assay, scratch assay, and Transwell assay were conducted to assess the proliferation, migration, and invasion ESCC cell. We verified the interaction between SNHG7 and miR-625 by performing the dual luciferase reporter gene experiment. Compared to that in adjacent normal tissues and HET1A cell lines, the expression level of SNHG7 in ESCC tumor tissues and ESCC cell lines was up-regulated, while the expression level of miR-625 was down-regulated. ESCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were significantly promoted by SNHG7 overexpression but inhibited by silencing of SNHG7. Further, luciferase reporter gene experiments confirmed that SNHG7 interacted with miR-625, and rescue experiments showed that SNHG7 promoted the malignant phenotype by inhibiting miR-625. SNHG7 is up-regulated in ESCC tumor tissues and cell lines, while miR-625 is expressed at a low level. SNHG7 is able to facilitate the proliferation, migration, and invasion of ESCC cells by targeting miR-625.