Abstract
BACKGROUND: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) is the most aggressive form of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to identify the differentially expressed miRNAs and target genes in CCRCC. METHODS: The miRNA and mRNA next-generation sequencing data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. Differential expression analysis was performed, followed by correlation analysis of miRNA-mRNA. Functional enrichment and survival analysis was also performed. RESULTS: Seven hundred and eighty-seven patients with CCRCC from TCGA data portal were included in this study. A total of 52 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified in CCRCC. Then 2361 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Prediction analysis and correlation analysis revealed that 89 miRNA-mRNA pairs were not only predicted by algorithms but also had a significant inverse relationship. Several differentially expressed miRNAs such as hsa-mir-501 and their target genes including AK1, SLC25A15 and PCDHGC3 had a significant prognostic value for CCRCC patients. CONCLUSIONS: Alterations of differentially expressed miRNAs and target genes may be involved in the development of CCRCC and can be considered as the prognostic markers for CCRCC.