Long non-coding RNA SNHG7 promotes migration and invasion of melanoma via upregulating SOX4
Authors: Y-Q Cao
Y-X Liu
B Zhu
X Li
Y-B Wang
C Zhang
X-B Li
J-C Yang
Journal: European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences (2019)
Discipline: PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY
Keywords: lncRNA; SNHG7; melanoma; tumor progression; SOX4
Affiliations: Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, Weihai Municipal Hospital Affiliated to Dalian Medical University, Weihai, China. .

Abstract:  Objective: Recent studies have revealed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a crucial role in tumor progression. Melanoma is a common type of fatal cancer worldwide. The aim of this study was to identify the exact role of lncRNA SNHG7 in the progression of melanoma and to explore the possible underlying mechanism. Patients and methods: SNHG7 expression in both melanoma cells and tissue samples was detected by Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The function of SNHG7 was identified by transwell assay and wound healing assay in vitro, respectively. Moreover, the underlying mechanism was explored by RT-qPCR and Western blot assay. Results: SNHG7 expression in tumor tissues was remarkably up-regulated when compared with normal tissues. The migration and invasion of melanoma cells were significantly inhibited after the silence of SNHG7 in vitro. After the silence of SNHG7, both the mRNA and protein levels of SOX4 were significantly down-regulated. Besides, the expression of SOX4 in tumor tissues was positively correlated with the expression of SNHG7. Conclusions: Our findings suggested that SNHG7 could promote the invasion and migration of melanoma cells through up-regulating SOX4, which might offer a new therapeutic intervention for melanoma patients. 

Retracted: Yes

PubPeer comments:
 This paper is one of a set of 121 papers that all contain images from the same library of about 100 photos and plots. This is unexpected, because each paper has different authors and different affiliations, with little to no overlap, and describes different cancer types and molecules. It would be very hard to explain how authors from different labs would all obtain the same photo. Therefore, the papers might have all be derived from the same source, such as a paper mill that sells ready-to-be-published papers. This  Stock Photo paper set has been described in more detail on my blog post, https: scienceintegritydigest.com 2020 07 05 the-stock-photo-paper-mill and in a Wall Street Journal article by Eva Xiao (currently behind a paywall): https: www.wsj.com articles chinese-research-papers-raise-doubts-fueling-global-questions-about-scientific-integrity-11593939600 The vast majority (113 121) of the papers were published in the same journal, European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences (ERMPS). A link to the full set of papers can be found here: https: docs.google.com spreadsheets d 172RWS18w1lTNJ9Nnj80fuXXTqTm4fGkoK0sdYyvKE3g edit?usp=sharing All papers have been reported to the journal editors on July 2, 2020. , 
 This article has been withdrawn at the end of July 2020. The retraction notice is not linked to the article, but can be found here: https: www.europeanreview.org article 22199 It reads:  *Since this article has been suspected of research misconduct and the corresponding authors did not respond to our request to prove originality of data and figures, u201cLong non-coding RNA SNHG7 promotes migration and invasion of melanoma via upregulating SOX4, by C. Zhang, B. Zhu, X.-B. Li, Y.-Q. Cao, J.-C. Yang, X. Li, Y.-X. Liu, Y.-B. Wang, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (11): 4828-4834u2013DOI: 10.26355 eurrev_201906_18069u2013PMID: 31210315u201d has been withdrawn.* *The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause.* ,