Long noncoding RNA SNHG1 promotes non‐small cell lung cancer progression by up‐regulating MTDH via sponging miR‐145–5p

Long noncoding RNAs participate in the progression and initiation of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), although the mechanism remains unknown. The lncRNA identified as small nucleolar RNA host gene 1 (SNHG1) is a novel lncRNA that is increased in multiple human cancers; however, the regulatory mechanism requires further investigation. In this study, we discovered that SNHG1 was markedly up‐regulated in NSCLC tissues and cells and that SNHG1 silencing decreased tumor volumes. Moreover, we explored its regulatory mechanism and found that SNHG1 directly bound to microRNA (miRNA)‐145–5p, isolating miR‐145–5p from its target gene MTDH. Inhibition of SNHG1 suppressed NSCLC cell viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro, but its effect was rescued by miR‐145–5p inhibition. These results demonstrate that SNHG1 contributes to NSCLC progression by modulating the miR‐145–5p/MTDH axis, and it could potentially be a therapeutic target as well as a diagnostic marker.—Lu, Q., Shan, S., Li, Y., Zhu, D., Jin, W., Ren, T. Long noncoding RNA SNHG1 promotes non‐small cell lung cancer progression by up‐regulating MTDH via sponging miR‐145‐5p. FASEB J. 32, 3957–3967 (2018). www.fasebj.org