Gastric Cancer

SNHG4[LncRNA]

miR-204-5p[miRNA]

NA[mRNA]

GC cells

Homo sapiens (human)

Mol Med Rep. 2021 Jan;23(1):85. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2020.11724. Epub 2020 Nov 25.

lncRNA SNHG4 promotes cell proliferation, migration, invasion and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition process via sponging miR-204-5p in gastric cancer.

Dual-luciferase reporter assay;Flow cytometry assay;Western blot;Flow Cytometry assay;Luciferase reporter assay;

Long non-coding (lnc)RNAs and microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) have physiological and pathological functions in various diseases, including gastric cancer (GC). The current study explored the association between lncRNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 4 (SNHG4) and miR-148a-3p, and their functions in GC cells. SNHG4 expression and overall survival data were analyzed using bioinformatics, and the interaction of SNHG4 and miR-148a-3p was predicted using starBase and confirmed via a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Cell viability, colony formation ability and apoptosis rate were detected using Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation and flow cytometry assays, respectively. Cell migration and invasion were determined via wound-healing and Transwell assays. mRNA and protein expression levels were determined via reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting. The results demonstrated that in GC tissues and cell lines, SNHG4 was highly expressed, while miR-204-5p expression was decreased, and that the expression levels of SNHG4 and miR-204-5p were negatively correlated. The downregulated expression of SNHG4 decreased the effects of miR-204-5p inhibitor on promoting cell proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition, but enhanced the inhibitory effect of miR-204-5p on GC cell apoptosis. The findings of the current study revealed the potential mechanism of the SNHG4-miR-204-5p pathway in GC, which may be conducive to the development of novel drugs against GC growth.