Expression and functional analysis of TIMM44 in cervical cancer

Cervical cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women worldwide, highlighting the need to identify novel molecular mechanisms underlying its progression. Translocase of inner mitochondrial membrane 44 (TIMM44) is a key mitochondrial protein involved in protein import and mitochondrial function; however, its role in cervical cancer remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the expression and functional role of TIMM44 in cervical cancer. TIMM44 expression was assessed in clinical tissues and cervical cancer cell lines. Gain- and loss-of-function approaches were used to evaluate its effects on cell proliferation and migration in vitro, as well as tumor growth in vivo. The potential involvement of Gαi1 and AKT signaling was also examined. Our results demonstrated that TIMM44 was significantly upregulated in cervical cancer tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues ( P < 0.01). Functional assays showed that TIMM44 promoted cell proliferation and migration in vitro and enhanced tumor growth in a xenograft model (all P < 0.05). Mechanistically, TIMM44 knockdown was associated with decreased Gαi1 levels and reduced AKT phosphorylation, whereas TIMM44 overexpression produced the opposite effects (all P < 0.05). In conclusion, TIMM44 may contribute to cervical cancer progression by modulating Gαi1 and downstream AKT signaling. These findings provide new insights into the role of mitochondrial proteins in cervical cancer and suggest that TIMM44 may represent a potential therapeutic target.