Knockdown of Long Noncoding RNA Small Nucleolar RNA Host Gene 12 Inhibits Cell Growth and Induces Apoptosis by Upregulating miR-138 in Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer

Small nucleolar RNA host gene 12 (SNHG12) is a novel long noncoding RNA identified to be upregulated and functions as an oncogene in several cancers. However, the function of SNHG12 and its target genes in modulating nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) development are rarely reported. In the present study, we validated that SNHG12 was overexpressed, while miR-138 was low-expressed, in NSCLC cells compared with normal human lung epithelial cells. SNHG12 harbored the binding site of miR-138 and inversely regulated the expression miR-138. Knockdown of SNHG12 inhibited proliferation and colony-forming ability, induced apoptosis, and increased caspase-3 activity of NSCLC cells, whereas miR-138 downregulation restored these effects. Furthermore, SNHG12 knockdown decreased volumes and weight of xenograft tumors in a NSCLC mouse model. Taken together, these findings suggested that knockdown of SNHG12 suppressed cell growth and induced apoptosis by upregulating miR-138 in NSCLC.