lncRNA SNHG12 promotes the progression of melanoma through the miR-205-5p/VEGFA axis

Malignant melanoma is an extremely aggressive skin cancer with a complicated pathogenesis. The long non-coding RNA SNHG12 is abnormally expressed in numerous types of cancer and may be related to melanoma, although the specific mechanism is unknown. This study will try to determine whether SNHG12 can impact the progression of melanoma by influencing the miR-205-5p/VEGFA pathway and explore its effects on cellular growth, migration, invasion, and vessel formation. This experiment aimed at targeting lncRNA SNHG12, miR-205-5p, and VEGFA in melanoma cells. Through CCK-8 analysis, Western blot analysis, tube formation assays, scratch-wound assays, and Transwell tests, we demonstrated the key function of SNHG12 in melanoma progression. Moreover, qRT-PCR analysis allowed us to determine the expression levels of SNHG12, miR-205-5p, and VEGFA. The expression level of SNHG12 significantly increased in melanoma cells WM239A, and it could suppress miR-205-5p expression specifically, leading to upregulation of VEGFA expression. This process contributed significantly to enhancing proliferation, motility, invasiveness, and neovascularization of melanoma cells. This study demonstrated that lncRNA SNHG12 significantly promoted melanoma proliferation, migration, invasion, and vascular formation by targeting miR-205-5p and VEGFA.