Abstract
The cell proliferation antigen Ki-67 is constitutively expressed in cycling mammalian cells and is widely used as a cell proliferation marker to grade tumours. Despite its use in cancer histo-pathology its functions are poorly understood. The aim of this project is to improve understanding of Ki-67 functions and its requirements in cancer initiation and progression. We found that Ki-67 is dispensable for cell proliferation and Ki-67 mutant mice did not exhibit any developmental abnormalities, and were fertile and aged well. Although Ki-67 was uncoupled from cell proliferation, Ki-67 was found to promote heterochromatin organization in proliferating cells. Studying Ki-67 expression control, we have found that cell cycle regulation accounts for Ki-67 variability levels in normal human cells, proliferating tissues in mice, human cancer cell lines and caner patients.Using our Ki-67 mutant mice, we found that Ki-67 depletion can protect mice from intestinal carcinogenesis in two different experimental models used. Moreover, analysis of the consequence of Ki-67 ablation in the mouse breast cancer cell line, 4T1 has revealed its requirements for the maintenance of the stem-like proprieties of these cancer cells. More importantly, Ki-67 depletion strongly affects 4T1 tumour growth and formation of lung metastases in vivo. Similarly, Ki-67 absence strongly impaired the development of the TNBC-derived MDA-MB-231 xenografts in vivo. Moreover, comparison of Ki-67 dependent alterations in gene expression in 4T1 cells by RNA sequencing revealed widespread transcriptome changes following Ki-67 depletion. Together, these results suggest a specific involvement of Ki-67 in cancer initiation and progression and may constitute a potential therapeutic target in cancer therapy.