PCID2 and hepatocellular carcinoma: As shown in Figure 4E, the levels of phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) and PI3K (p-PI3K) were significantly reduced in PCID2-silenced cells (shPCID2#1) compared with shCtrl group (P < 0.01), suggesting that PCID2 may enhance the proliferation and invasion phenotypes of HCC cells by activating the PI3K/Akt pathway.