Increasing evidence reveals that microRNA contributes to the development and progression of gastric cancer (GC), but the roles of miR-585 in GC remain unclear. In this study, we confirmed that miR-585 was down-regulated in GC tissues and cell lines and that miR-585 expression was related to extent of invasion, TNM stage, lymph node invasion and poor prognosis. Our results showed that miR-585 inhibits the proliferation and migration of GC, and MAPK1 is a direct and functional target of miR-585. Our study sheds light on the role of miR-585 as a suppressor for tumor growth and metastasis and raises the intriguing possibility that miR-585 may serve as a new potential marker for monitoring and treating GC. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.