Abstract
Globally, pancreatic cancer is recognized as one of the deadliest malignancies that lacks effective targeted therapies. This study aims to explore the role of cyclin I-like protein (CCNI2), a homolog of cyclin I (CCNI), in the progression of pancreatic cancer, thereby providing a theoretical basis for its treatment. Firstly, the expression of CCNI2 in pancreatic cancer tissues was determined through immunohistochemical staining. The biological role of CCNI2 in pancreatic cancer cells was further assessed using both in vitro and in vivo loss/gain-of-function assays. Our data revealed that CCNI2 expression was abnormally elevated in pancreatic cancer, and clinically, increased CCNI2 expression generally correlated with reduced overall survival. Functionally, CCNI2 contributed to the malignant progression of pancreatic cancer by promoting the proliferation and migration of tumor cells. Consistently, in vivo experiments verified that CCNI2 knockdown impaired the tumorigenic ability of pancreatic cancer cells. Moreover, the addition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors could partially reverse the promoting effect of CCNI2 on the malignant phenotypes of pancreatic cancer cells. CCNI2 promoted pancreatic cancer through PI3K/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway, indicating its potential as a prognostic marker and therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer.