Functional study of small nucleolar RNA SNORD13H in hepatocellular carcinoma

Here, we identified SNORD13H as being downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and its low expression was associated with HCC development. To elucidate specific roles ofSNORD13H in HCC, we used a comprehensive array of methodologies, includingflow cytometry, xenograft mouse model, reverse transcription at low dNTPconcentration followed by PCR assay, and surface sensing oftranslation (SUnSET) assay. In this study, we first demonstrated that reducedSNORD13H serves as a biomarker for HCC, facilitating cellular proliferation.SNORD13H mediates methylations of 18S rRNA and RAS mRNA, therebyenhancing translation efficiency and regulating RAS protein levels in HCC. Thediminution of SNORD13H activates the RAS pathway, contributing to theprogression of HCC.