miR‑3666 suppresses cellular proliferation and invasion in colorectal cancer by targeting SATB2

MicroRNA‑3666 (miR‑3666) acts as a tumor suppressor in cervical cancer, non‑small cell lung cancer and thyroid carcinoma; however, the function of miR‑3666 in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains largely unknown. In the present study, was demonstrated that miR‑3666 was significantly downregulated in CRC tissues compared with in adjacent normal tissues by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Additionally, miR‑3666 may serve as a prognostic biomarker for patients with CRC. Via functional experiments, the present study reported that miR‑3666 overexpression significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of CRC cells as determined by Cell Counting Kit‑8 and Transwell assays, and vice versa. In addition, miR‑3666 was reported to directly target special AT‑rich sequence binding protein 2 (SATB2) in CRC cells; overexpression of miR‑3666 significantly suppressed the expression of SATB2 in CRC cells as determined by western blotting. Furthermore, an inverse correlation was observed between the expression levels of miR‑3666 and SATB2 in CRC tissues. Restoration of SATB1 expression significantly reversed the effects of miR‑3666 mimic on CRC cells. In summary, the results of the present study indicated that miR‑3666 may serve as a tumor suppressor in CRC by targeting SATB2.