Small nuclear ribonucleoprotein associated polypeptide N accelerates cell proliferation in pancreatic adenocarcinoma

The spliceosome, the large RNA‑protein molecular complex, is crucial for pre‑mRNA splicing. Several antitumor drugs have been found to tightly bind to the components of the spliceosome and mutations in the spliceosome have been reported in several types of cancer. However, the involvement of the spliceosome in pancreatic adenocarcinoma remains unclear. In the present study, small nuclear ribonucleoprotein associated polypeptide N (SNRPN), a key constituent of spliceosomes, was disrupted in BxPC‑3 pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells using lentivirus‑mediated RNA interference (RNAi). It was found that knockdown of SNRPN reduced the proliferation ability of BxPC‑3 cells, as determined by an MTT assay. Furthermore, cell colony formation was impaired in SNRPN depleted adenocarcinoma cells and cell cycle analysis showed that depletion of SNRPN led to S phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. These results suggest that SNRPN is a key player in pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell growth, and targeted loss of SNRPN may be a potential therapeutic method for pancreatic cancer.