CDK12 Promotes Cervical Cancer Progression through Enhancing Macrophage Infiltration.

Cervical cancer (CC) is a commonly diagnosed and primary consideration of cancer patient death in female reproductive system malignancy. Cyclin-dependent kinase 12 (CDK12), as a transcription-associated CDK, plays important roles in tumor-promoting behaviors, whereas the underlying mechanisms of in CC progression are still obscure. In this report, we investigated the role of in cervical cancer. The current study identified mRNA and protein expression remarkably upregulated in CC patients. Upregulated was closely associated with CC progression and poor prognosis. and functional experiments showed that knockdown of inhibited cancer cell proliferation and colony formation and promoted apoptosis. Further investigations demonstrated that regulated the immune microenvironment to facilitate the progression of CC cells by promoting macrophage infiltration. Meanwhile, we first demonstrated that nuclear import of CDK12 is mediated by TNPO1 and might be a new therapeutic target in oncology. Collectively, this study pointed out the potential of to serve as a novel therapeutic target in restricting CC proliferation and cell cycle process through promoting macrophage infiltration.