Schematic diagram of the roles of miR-21 and the PDCD4/c-Jun signalling pathway in renal cell carcinoma. The overexpression of miR-21 and the reduced PDCD4 expression, leading to the activation of c-Jun, further increased the levels of MMP2, MMP9, ANG-1 and VEGFA, which promoted tumour cell migration, invasion and angiogenesis. PDCD4, programmed cell death protein 4; miR, microRNA; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor; MMP, matrix metalloproteinase.