To further confirm that AMFR and NOTCH1 are direct targets of miR-139-5p in CRC, we mutated the predicted binding sites of miR-139-5p in the 3′UTRs of AMFR and NOTCH1 that are conserved among mammals, and found that the mutant 3′UTRs were completely refractory to miR-139-5p-mediated luciferase reporter repression in HEK-293T and HCT-116 cells (Figs. 3B, 3C and S3). Here, AMFR is linked to colorectal carcinoma.