Lnc-SNHG1 may promote the progression of non-small cell lung cancer by acting as a sponge of miR-497

Highlights: • lnc-SNHG1 promotes the progression of non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC). • lnc-SNHG1 might modulate cell proliferation, migration and invasion by sponging miR-497. • The effect of lnc-SNHG1 on NSCLC could be rescued by miR-497. • lnc-SNHG1 promotes cancer cell motility in a miR-497-dependent manner via IGF1-R. Lnc-SNHG1 (small nucleolar RNA host gene 1) is considered an important regulating factor in several types of cancers. However, the biological functions and underlying molecular mechanisms in which lnc-SNHG1 is involved in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) still need to be explored. In this study, we investigated the detailed effects and possible molecular mechanisms. The transcript level of lnc-SNHG1 was higher in lung adenocarcinoma specimens and NSCLC cell lines than in noncancer tissue and cells. The level of expression was positively correlated with invasiveness and was negatively correlated with the level of miR-497 in vivo and in vitro. In exploring the regulatory mechanism, we found that lnc-SNHG1 might modulate tumor growth by sponging miR-497. The inhibitory effect of si-lnc-SNHG1 on NSCLC cell proliferation, migration and invasion could be rescued by miR-497 inhibition, while the overexpression of miR-497 could reverse the effect of lnc-SNHG1 overexpression. Furthermore, our study demonstrated that the lnc-SNHG1 regulated the expression of the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1-R) by acting as a sponge of miR-497 in NSCLC. lnc-SNHG1 could be a novel biomarker as well as a curative target.