lncRNA SNHG7 promotes tumorigenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma via epithelial‑to‑mesenchymal transition
Authors: Xiaohan Sun
Wenrui Xu
Chuanshan Zang
Yan Jiang
Journal: Oncology Letters (2020)
Discipline: CLINICAL MEDICINE
Keywords: SNHG7; epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition; long noncoding RNA; nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Affiliations: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, P.R. China.

Abstract:  Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most common malignant tumors. Studies have indicated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) function as important regulators in progression of tumorigenesis. In this study, lncRNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 7 (SNHG7) was selected to identify how it functioned in the development of NPC. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed to detect SNHG7 expression in paired NPC patient tissue samples and cell lines. The role of SNHG7 in the metastasis of NPC was detected through scratch wound assay and Transwell assay. RT-qPCR and western blot assay were used to discover the function of SNHG7 in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. Tumor metastasis assay was also performed in vivo. In this study, RT-qPCR results showed that SNHG7 expression in NPC samples was remarkably higher when compared with that in adjacent ones. Cell invasion and cell migration of NPC were inhibited due to silence of SNHG7 and were promoted due to overexpression of SNHG7. Moreover, results of further experiments revealed that the EMT-related proteins were regulated via knockdown or overexpression of SNHG7 in NPC. Furthermore, tumor metastasis of NPC was inhibited via knockdown of SNHG7 and was enhanced via overexpression of SNHG7 in nude mice. These results indicate that SNHG7 enhances NPC cell invasion and cell migration by eliciting the EMT process. 

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. , 
 Retraction, August 2020. The retraction notice reads:  Following the publication of this article, the authors contacted the Editor to request its retraction on account of having been unable to obtain the same results on performing further experiments. Subsequently, the Editorial office were also informed by an interested reader that data featured in Figs. 3B and 4 had also appeared in other non-related publications, and the office were able to confirm that these images were indeed the same as those featured in the other publications. The Editor has agreed to the authors request, and therefore this article has been retracted from Oncology Letters. All the authors agree to this retraction. The authors apologize to the readership of the Journal for any inconvenience caused. ,