LncRNA SNHG20 promotes cell proliferation and invasion via miR-140-5p-ADAM10 axis in cervical cancer

Background: Recent studies highlight the crucial regulatory roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in carcinogenesis. However, involvement of the lncRNA SNHG20 in cervical cancer progression remains unclear. Methods: The expression of SNHG20 and miR-140-5p was determined in cervical cancer. Gain or loss of function assays were used to explore the roles of SNHG20 and miR-140-5p in cervical cancer cells. Luciferase assay and Western blot were used to explore the underlying mechanisms of SNHG20 and miR-140-5p in cervical cancer progression. Results: QRT-PCR showed that SNHG20 expression was significantly increased in cervical cancer. MiR-140-5p acted as a downstream target of SNHG20. SNHG20 inhibition or miR-140-5p overexpression reduced cervical cancer cells proliferation and invasion ability. Furthermore, we identified that ADAM10 could act as a potential target of miR-140-5p. MEK/ERK signaling could be inhibited by miR-140-5p mimics in cervical cancer cells. In addition, ADAM10 overexpression abrogated the effect of miR-140-5p mimics on cervical cancer cells proliferation and invasion. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that SNHG20 could function as an oncogenic lncRNA by regulating miR-140-5p-ADAM10 axis and MEK/ERK signaling pathway in cervical cancer.