The small nucleolar RNA host genes (SNHGs) belong to the long non-coding RNAs and are reported to be able to influence all three levels of cellular information-bearing molecules, that is, DNA, RNA, and proteins, resulting in the generation of complex phenomena. As the host genes of the small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), they are commonly localized in the nucleolus, where they exert multiple regulatory functions orchestrating cellular homeostasis and differentiation as well as metastasis and chemoresistance. Indeed, worldwide literature has reported their involvement in the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of different histotypes of cancer, being able to exploit peculiar features, for example, the possibility to act both in the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Moreover, SNHGs regulation is a fundamental topic to better understand their role in tumor progression albeit such mechanism is still debated. Here, we reviewed the biological functions of SNHGs in particular in the EMT process and discussed the perspectives for new cancer therapies.

中文翻译：

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促进上皮-间质转化的小核仁RNA宿主基因导致癌症进展和转移

小核仁 RNA 宿主基因 (SNHG) 属于长链非编码 RNA，据报道能够影响所有三个水平的细胞信息承载分子，即 DNA、RNA 和蛋白质，从而产生复杂的现象。作为小核仁 RNA (snoRNA) 的宿主基因，它们通常位于核仁中，在那里它们发挥多种调节功能，协调细胞稳态和分化以及转移和化学抗性。事实上，全球文献报道了它们参与不同组织型癌症的上皮-间质转化（EMT），能够利用特殊特征，例如，在细胞核和细胞质中都起作用的可能性。而且，SNHG 的调控是更好地了解它们在肿瘤进展中的作用的一个基本话题，尽管这种机制仍有争议。在这里，我们回顾了 SNHG 的生物学功能，特别是在 EMT 过程中，并讨论了新癌症疗法的前景。