LncRNA SNHG25 Predicts Poor Prognosis and Promotes Progression in Osteosarcoma via the miR-497-5p/SOX4 Axis

Background: Osteosarcoma is a disease that primarily affects adolescents with skeletal immaturity. LncRNAs are abnormally expressed and correlated with osteosarcoma patients' prognosis. We identified aberrant expression of LncRNA SNHG25 (small nucleolar RNA host gene 25) in osteosarcoma and analyzed the molecular mechanisms by which it regulates osteosarcoma progression. Methods: The expression levels of SNHG25 in tumour specimens and cells were measured by RT-qPCR. Loss-of-function assays were conducted to investigate the functional role of SNHG25 in vitro and in vivo. Bioinformatic predictions, dual-luciferase reporter assays, and western blotting were performed to explore the possible underlying mechanisms. Results: SNHG25 was highly expressed in osteosarcoma cells and tissues. The Kaplan-Meier curve showed that the survival rate of patients with high SNHG25 expression was significantly lower than those with low SNHG25 expression. Functional studies have indicated that inhibition of SNHG25 suppresses cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while promoting apoptosis. SNHG25 knockdown suppresses osteosarcoma tumour growth in vivo. SNHG25 functions as a sponge for miR-497-5p in osteosarcoma cells. The level of SNHG25 was negatively correlated with that of miR-497-5p. The proliferation, invasion, and migration of osteosarcoma cells were restored by transfection of the miR-497-5p inhibitor in the SNHG25 knockdown group. Conclusion: SNHG25 was determined to function as an oncogene by promoting osteosarcoma cell proliferation, invasion, and migration through the miR-497-5p/SOX4 axis. Upregulation of SNHG25 expression indicated poor prognosis in patients with osteosarcoma, which showed that SNHG25 may serve as a potential therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker in osteosarcoma.