microRNA‑181a‑5p functions as an oncogene in renal cell carcinoma

: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most common urinary tumors. Previous studies have demonstrated that microRNA (miR)‑181a‑5p has an important role in numerous types of cancer. However, the function of miR‑181a‑5p in RCC remains unknown. In the present study, the expression levels of miR‑181a‑5p in RCC tissues and cell lines were investigated using reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‑qPCR) analysis. The results of the RT‑qPCR analyses suggested that the expression of miR‑181a‑5p was upregulated in RCC tissues and cells lines compared with adjacent normal renal tissues and normal renal cell lines. Furthermore, the effect of miR‑181a‑5p on cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis was investigated in the present study. Overexpression of miR‑181a‑5p was revealed to suppress the apoptosis of 786‑O and ACHN cells, in addition to enhancing the proliferation, migration and invasion abilities of 786‑O and ACHN cells in vitro, thus suggesting that miR‑181a‑5p may function as an oncogene in RCC. However, further studies are required to investigate the underlying mechanism of miR‑181a‑5p and its potential role as a biomarker for early detection and prognosis, in addition to as a therapeutic target in RCC.