SPRY4 Intronic Transcript 1 Promotes Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Through Association with Snail1 in Osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma is an aggressive tumor and the most common malignancy of the skeleton. Due to pulmonary metastasis, the 5-year survival rate is still unsatisfactory. It has been reported that SPRY4 intronic transcript 1 (SPRY4-IT1) promotes cell growth, invasion, and inhibits apoptosis in several cancers. However, the role of SPRY4-IT1 in osteosarcoma remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the role of SPRY4-IT1 in osteosarcoma cells. Loss- and gain-of-function assays demonstrated that SPRY4-IT1 promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in osteosarcoma. Moreover, SPRY4-IT1 induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition phenotype in osteosarcoma cells. Subsequent investigations revealed that SPRY4-IT1 promoted migration and invasion through association with Snail1 and regulating its stability. Based on these findings, the SPRY4-IT1/Snail1/E-cadherin pathway may play a crucial role in promoting osteosarcoma metastasis. Thus, SPRY4-IT1 may be a potential target for new therapies of osteosarcoma.