miR‑486 acts as an oncogene and potential prognostic biomarker in renal cell carcinoma.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are well established key players in tumorigenesis. Their emergence as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for cancer has demonstrated the importance of miRNAs in cancer biology. Although miR‑486 is implicated in many types of cancer, its role in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains undetermined. In the present study, real‑time quantitative PCR (qPCR), wound scratch assay, cell proliferation assay, Transwell migration assay and flow cytometry were utilized to detect the miR‑486 transcript and its role in proliferation, migration and apoptosis in RCC. The relationship between miR‑486 expression and clinicopathological variables or overall survival was analyzed using 96 formalin‑fixed paraffin‑embedded (FFPE) RCC samples. The results of the present study revealed significant upregulation of miR‑486 in RCC tissues and cell lines. Moreover, ectopic expression of miR‑486 promoted cell proliferation, mobility and inhibited apoptosis in 786‑O and ACHN cell lines. In addition, the Cox proportional hazard regression analysis revealed that patients with low expression of miR‑486 exhibited a markedly longer overall survival in the univariate and multivariate analyses. In conclusion, our findings indicate that miR‑486 may serve as a novel prognostic biomarker but may also be applied as a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of RCC.