The long non‐coding RNA SNHG1 promotes bladder cancer progression by interacting with miR‐143‐3p and EZH2

The long non‐coding RNA (lncRNA) SNHG1 has been shown to be implicated in the progression of multiple human carcinomas. Nevertheless, the biological functions and potential mechanism of SNHG1 in bladder cancer (BC) are uncharacterized. In the present study, SNHG1 was found to be substantially up‐regulated in BC tissues and cells and was intimately correlated with the TNM stage, lymphatic invasion, metastasis and recurrence‐free survival in BC patients. Down‐regulation of SNHG1 dramatically attenuated the proliferation, migration and invasion of BC cells, whereas the ectopic overexpression of SNHG1 had the opposite effects in vitro. The in vivo experimental results also indicated that SNHG1 down‐regulation hampered the tumour growth and metastasis of BC cells. Mechanistic investigations revealed that SNHG1 enhances HK2 expression by serving as an endogenous sponge to regulate miR‐143‐3p in the cytoplasm of BC cells. In the nucleus, SNHG1 could interact with EZH2 and regulate the histone methylation of the CDH1 promoter, altering the biological behaviours of BC cells. Overall, these findings elucidate an oncologic role of SNHG1 in BC and provide a new therapeutic strategy against BC.