Enabling factor for cancer hallmark acquisition: Small nucleolar RNA host gene 17

The role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in human tumors has gradually received increasing attention in recent years. Particularly, the different functions of lncRNAs in different subcellular localizations have been widely investigated. The upregulation of lncRNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 17 (SNHG17) has been observed in various human tumors. Growing evidence has proved that SNHG17 plays a tumor-promoting role in tumorigenesis and development. This paper describes the molecular mechanisms by which SNHG17 contributes to tumor formation and development. The different functions of SNHG17 in various subcellular localizations are also emphasized: its function in the cytoplasm as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA), its action in the nucleus as a transcriptional coactivator, and its function through the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2)-dependent epigenetic modifications that regulate transcriptional processes. Finally, the correlation between SNHG17 and human tumors is summarized. Its potential as a novel prognostic and diagnostic biomarker for cancer is explored especially.