Background: Small nucleolar RNA host gene 1 (SNHG1), a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), is a transcript that negatively regulates tumour-suppressor genes, such as the p53 gene. Abnormal SNHG1 expression is associated with cell proliferation and tumours. We used sequencing data downloaded from the Genomic Data Commons (GDC) to analyse the expression and interaction networks of SNHG1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Methods: Expression was analysed using the limma package of R and verified by GEPIA. We also obtained miRNA expression data from StarBase to determine the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA–related RNA regulatory network in HCC. Kaplan Meier (KM) analysis was performed using the survival package of R. Gene Ontology (GO) annotation of the genes was carried out using the Metascape.
RESULTS: We found that SNHG1 was overexpressed and often amplified in HCC patients. In addition, SNHG1 upregulation was associated with the promotion of several primary biological functions, including cell proliferation, transcription and protein binding. Moreover, we found a competitive relationship among SNHG1, E2F8, FANCE and LMNB2. Additionally, in the SNHG1-associated network, higher expression levels of SNHG1 (log-rank P value = 0.0643), E2F8 (log-rank P value=0.000048), FANCE (log-rank P value=0.00125) and LMNB2 (log-rank P value=0.0392) were significantly associated with poor survival. We found that E2F8 may play an important role in tumorigenesis or cancer development by Single cell analysis.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight the utility of multiple data for understanding the functional potential regulatory networks of SNHG1 and the role of SNHG1 in tumours.