The oncogenic mechanisms of renal cell carcinoma(RCC) are becoming elucidated with recent advances in molecular biology. von Hipple-Lindau disease(VHL) tumor suppressor gene is mutated and inactivated frequently in clear cell type RCCs. The VHL protein forms a complex which shows a ubiquitin ligase activity. The lost of the ubiquitin ligase activity of VHL protein may be a key step for clear cell tumorigenesis. Papillary renal cell carcinomas are caused by activating mutation in the tyrosine kinase domain of the MET gene. This tumorigenic pathway is regulated by c-Src. Immunogene therapies have been started for the patients with advanced RCC. The information based on microarray and Serial Analysis of Gene Expression(SAGE) will provide novel diagnosis and therapy which focus on the tumorigenic mechanism of RCC in the near future.