MMP9 and colorectal carcinoma: The results showed that STEAP3 knockdown upregulated the expression of MMP9, whereas the knockdown of lncRNA STEAP3-AS1 together with STEAP3 significantly downregulated the expression of MMP9 (Fig. 6G and H, Figure S6F and G), indicating that the lncRNA STEAP3-AS1 mainly promotes CRC liver metastasis by interacting with STEAP3 to regulate MMP9 expression.