miR-886-3p upregulation in clear cell renal cell carcinoma regulates cell migration, proliferation and apoptosis by targeting PITX1

miR‑886‑3p has been discovered to be involved in the oncogenesis, progression and metastasis of several types of human cancer. The aim of the present study was to identify the biological function of miR‑886‑3p in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and to determine its possible molecular mechanisms. miR‑886‑3p was found to be significantly upregulated in ccRCC tissues (P<0.05), in accordance with a previous sequencing result. Functional experiments revealed that forced downregulation of miR‑886‑3p significantly inhibited cellular migration, suppressed cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis of renal cancer cells. Paired‑like homeodomain 1 (PITX1), which has been identified as a tumor suppressor, was found to be downregulated in ccRCC tissues and identified as a target gene of miR‑886‑3p. Further experiments demonstrated that the protein level, and not the mRNA level, of PITX1 was significantly decreased or increased when miR‑886‑3p was upregulated or downregulated, respectively, indicating that miR‑886‑3p acted as an oncogene by directly regulating the protein expression of PITX1 at a post‑transcriptional level. In conclusion, this study revealed that miR‑886‑3p was upregulated in ccRCC and was involved in cellular migration, proliferation and apoptosis of renal cancer cells by directly targeting the tumor suppressor gene, PITX1.