miR-451 has been shown to target PSMB8 in renal cell carcinoma and lung cancer16,29; MIF, LKB1/AMPK, AMPK/mTOR and Fascin1 in thyroid, glioma, nasopharyngeal and gastric carcinomas9,10,13,22,30; IKK-β in HCC19; CXCL16 in osteosarcoma26; CDKN2D and MAP3K1 in esophageal carcinoma24; liver receptor homolog-1 (LRH-1) that plays crucial role in the onset and progression of many cancer types31; c-Myc/Erk1–2 and ATF2 in hepatocarcinoma20,21 and PI3K/Akt/mTOR in multiple myeloma32. Here, MTOR is linked to renal cell carcinoma.