The lncRNA SNHG5-mediated miR-205-5p downregulation contributes to the progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma by targeting ZEB1.

Recent findings have unraveled the critical functions of the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) SNHG5 in human malignancies. Nevertheless, the role and mechanism of SNHG5 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) are still elusive. In our study, substantially higher abundance of SNHG5 was observed in ccRCC specimens and cell lines, and increased SNHG5 expression was intimately correlated with tumor size, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, lymph node invasion, and distant metastases in patients with ccRCC. SNHG5 knockdown obviously suppressed the proliferative, migratory, and invasive capabilities of ccRCC cells, whereas SNHG5 overexpression induced the opposite effects. Mechanistically, SNHG5 activated the transcription of ZEB1, which exerts a pivotal role in modulation of epithelia-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor metastasis. SNHG5 was then shown to act as an endogenous sponge for miR-205-5p, which targets ZEB1 in ccRCC. Moreover rescue experiments revealed that SNHG5 promotes ccRCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in a miR-205-5p-dependent manner. Additionally, in vivo assays further indicated that overexpression or silencing of SNHG5 in ccRCC cells promoted or suppressed the tumorigenesis and metastasis, respectively. Altogether, the present data provide the first evidence that the lncRNA SNHG5 has an oncogenic role in ccRCC through the SNHG5/miR-205-5p/ZEB1 signaling axis and represents a novel potential therapeutic regimen against ccRCC.