LncRNA SNHG17 Contributes to the Progression of Cervical Cancer by Targeting microRNA-375-3p

PURPOSE: Cervical cancer is a great threat to women’s health all over the world. Non-coding RNAs performed a wide range of functions. This study aimed to clarify the clinical significance and biological function of lncRNA SNHG17 and miRNA-375-3p (miR-375-3p) in cervical cancer (CC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Blood samples from 124 CC patients and 119 healthy volunteers were collected. The relative expression of SNHG17 and miR-375-3p in CC patient serums and cells was evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The receiver operating curve (ROC) was plotted for diagnostic value estimation. The CCK-8 and transwell assay were conducted to explore the function of SNHG17 on CC cells. A luciferase reporter assay was carried out to confirm the interaction of SNHG17 and miR-375-3p. Rescue experiments were performed to verify the interaction. RESULTS: SNHG17 showed an ascending expression while miR-375-3p descended in the serum of CC patients. For SNHG17 and miR-375-3p, respectively, the AUC was 0.863 and 0.869, the sensitivity was 84.7% and 75.8%, and the specificity was 78.2% and 86.6%. Knockdown of SNHG17 inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion of CC cells. Serum SNHG17 expression was negatively correlated with miR-375-3p expression, and miR-375-3p was the target miRNA of SNHG17. Rescue experiments verified the knockdown of SNHG17 inhibited cell growth through repressing miR-375-3p expression. CONCLUSION: SNHG17 and miR-375-3p have the potential to be diagnostic markers for CC. Overexpression of SNHG17 in CC promoted the progression of CC partly via targeting miR-375-3p, implying a novel therapeutic target for CC emerging.