Snhg20, a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), is a member of the small nucleolar RNA host gene family. LncRNAs with a length >200 nucleotides play crucial roles as initial factors and promoters in different tumors. Snhg20 expresses frequently in various cancers such as hepatocellular carcinoma, ovarian cancer, and colorectal cancer, contributing to cancer development and progression through transcriptional or posttranscriptional modifications [1].

In multiple cancer types, studies have shown significant implications of Snhg20. In hepatocellular carcinoma, knockdown of Snhg20 inhibited cell metastasis and accelerated apoptosis, as it acts as a sponge of miR-5095, which negatively targets MBD1, thus regulating HCC progression [4]. In ovarian cancer, Snhg20 promoted cell proliferation and invasion by sponging miR-217 [5]. In laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, Snhg20 promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, likely mediated by miR-342-3p and miR-140 [3,6]. In diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, c-MYC-activated Snhg20 accelerated cell proliferation and increased apoptosis resistance via USP14-mediated deubiquitination of β-catenin [7]. In prostate cancer, Snhg20 promoted cell proliferation and migration by acting as a ceRNA to upregulate DDX17 [8]. In lung adenocarcinoma, Snhg20 regulated cell proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis via the miR-342/DDX49 axis [9]. A meta-analysis also indicated that high Snhg20 expression was linked to poorer overall and disease-free survival, as well as advanced clinicopathological features in cancer patients [2].

In conclusion, Snhg20 is a vital lncRNA in multiple human cancers, promoting cancer development and progression through various miRNA-mediated and other molecular mechanisms. These findings from in vitro and in vivo studies (although no KO/CKO mouse models were mentioned in the references) suggest Snhg20 could potentially serve as a biomarker and a therapeutic target for cancers [1-10].

References:

1. Zhao, Wei, Ma, Xiaozhou, Liu, Lina, Wang, Zuomin, Wu, Jie. 2019. SNHG20: A vital lncRNA in multiple human cancers. In Journal of cellular physiology, 234, 14519-14525. doi:10.1002/jcp.28143. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30644099/

2. Zhu, Hanlong, Zhao, Si, Jiao, Ruonan, Li, Quanpeng, Miao, Lin. 2020. Prognostic and clinicopathological significance of SNHG20 in human cancers: a meta-analysis. In Cancer cell international, 20, 304. doi:10.1186/s12935-020-01403-8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32675944/

3. Xie, Zuozhong, Xiang, Hong, Li, Jingkun, Li, Wei, Tan, Guolin. 2022. SNHG20 promotes the development of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma via miR-342-3p/MTDH axis. In Heliyon, 8, e10085. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10085. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36033309/

4. Xu, Bin, Li, Chao, Yang, Bin, Wang, Lantian, Lu, Wenjie. 2023. LncRNA SNHG20 silencing inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma progression by sponging miR-5095 from MBD1. In American journal of translational research, 15, 4314-4331. doi:. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37434830/

5. Xing, Xuefeng, An, Ming, Chen, Tonghua. 2021. LncRNA SNHG20 promotes cell proliferation and invasion by suppressing miR-217 in ovarian cancer. In Genes & genomics, 43, 1095-1104. doi:10.1007/s13258-021-01138-4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34302635/

6. Li, Y, Xu, J, Guo, Y-N, Yang, B-B. . LncRNA SNHG20 promotes the development of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma by regulating miR-140. In European review for medical and pharmacological sciences, 23, 3401-3409. doi:10.26355/eurrev_201904_17704. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31081112/

7. Wang, Chaoyu, Fu, Wen, Zhang, Youju, Xu, Qiuran, Tong, Xiangmin. 2024. C-MYC-activated lncRNA SNHG20 accelerates the proliferation of diffuse large B cell lymphoma via USP14-mediated deubiquitination of β-catenin. In Biology direct, 19, 47. doi:10.1186/s13062-024-00488-9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38886753/

8. Wu, Xing-Cheng, Yan, Wei-Gang, Ji, Zhi-Gang, Zheng, Guo-Yang, Liu, Guang-Hua. 2019. Long noncoding RNA SNHG20 promotes prostate cancer progression via upregulating DDX17. In Archives of medical science : AMS, 17, 1752-1765. doi:10.5114/aoms.2019.85653. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34900057/

9. Wang, Xiuli, Gu, Guomin, Zhu, Hongge, Abuduwaili, Kahaerjiang, Liu, Chunling. 2020. LncRNA SNHG20 promoted proliferation, invasion and inhibited cell apoptosis of lung adenocarcinoma via sponging miR-342 and upregulating DDX49. In Thoracic cancer, 11, 3510-3520. doi:10.1111/1759-7714.13693. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33089952/