The Prognostic and Immune Significance of in Pan-Cancer and Its Relationship with the Progression of Pancreatic Cancer.

Cartilage intermediate layer protein 2 () facilitates interactions between matrix components in cartilage and has emerged as a potential prognostic biomarker for cancer. This study aimed to investigate the function and mechanisms of in pan-cancer. We evaluated the pan-cancer expression, methylation, and mutation data of for its clinical prognostic value. Additionally, we explored the immunological characteristics of in pan-cancer and then focused specifically on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PAAD). The subtype analysis of PAAD identified subtype-specific expression and immunological characteristics. Finally, in vitro and in vivo experiments assessed the impact of on pancreatic cancer progression. exhibited high expression in most malignancies, with significant heterogeneity in epigenetic modifications across multiple cancer types. The abnormal methylation and copy number variations in were correlated with poor prognoses. Upregulated was associated with / and more malignant subtypes. exhibited a negative correlation with immune checkpoints in PAAD, suggesting potential for immunotherapy. activated the AKT pathway, and it increased proliferation, invasion, migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in pancreatic cancer. We demonstrated that significantly contributes to pancreatic cancer progression. It serves as a prognostic biomarker and a potential target for immunotherapy.