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Ki-67 is a nuclear protein that is expressed in all proliferating vertebrate cells. Here, we demonstrate that, although Ki-67 is not required for cell proliferation, its genetic ablation inhibits each step of tumor initiation, growth, and metastasis. Mice lacking Ki-67 are resistant to chemical or genetic induction of intestinal tumorigenesis. In established cancer cells, Ki-67 knockout causes global transcriptome remodeling that alters the epithelial-mesenchymal balance and suppresses stem cell characteristics. When grafted into mice, tumor growth is slowed, and metastasis is abrogated, despite normal cell proliferation rates. Yet, Ki-67 loss also down-regulates major histocompatibility complex class I antigen presentation and, in the 4T1 syngeneic model of mammary carcinoma, leads to an immune-suppressive environment that prevents the early phase of tumor regression. Finally, genes involved in xenobiotic metabolism are down-regulated, and cells are sensitized to various drug classes. Our results suggest that Ki-67 enables transcriptional programs required for cellular adaptation to the environment. This facilitates multiple steps of carcinogenesis and drug resistance, yet may render cancer cells more susceptible to antitumor immune responses., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest.

The cell proliferation antigen Ki-67 is widely used in cancer histopathology, but estimations of Ki-67 expression levels are inconsistent and understanding of its regulation is limited. Here we show that cell-cycle regulation underlies variable Ki-67 expression in all situations analyzed, including nontransformed human cells, normal mouse intestinal epithelia and adenomas, human cancer cell lines with or without drug treatments, and human breast and colon cancers. In normal cells, Ki-67 was a late marker of cell-cycle entry; Ki-67 mRNA oscillated with highest levels in G 2 while protein levels increased throughout the cell cycle, peaking in mitosis. Inhibition of CDK4/CDK6 revealed proteasome-mediated Ki-67 degradation in G 1 After cell-cycle exit, low-level Ki-67 expression persisted but was undetectable in fully quiescent differentiated cells or senescent cells. CDK4/CDK6 inhibition in vitro and in tumors in mice caused G 1 cell-cycle arrest and eliminated Ki-67 mRNA in RB1-positive cells but had no effect in RB1-negative cells, which continued to proliferate and express Ki-67. Thus, Ki-67 expression varies due to cell-cycle regulation, but it remains a reliable readout for effects of CDK4/CDK6 inhibitors on cell proliferation. Cancer Res; 77(10); 2722-34. ©2017 AACR ., (©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Antigen Ki-67 is a nuclear protein expressed in proliferating mammalian cells. It is widely used in cancer histopathology but its functions remain unclear. Here, we show that Ki-67 controls heterochromatin organisation. Altering Ki-67 expression levels did not significantly affect cell proliferation in vivo. Ki-67 mutant mice developed normally and cells lacking Ki-67 proliferated efficiently. Conversely, upregulation of Ki-67 expression in differentiated tissues did not prevent cell cycle arrest. Ki-67 interactors included proteins involved in nucleolar processes and chromatin regulators. Ki-67 depletion disrupted nucleologenesis but did not inhibit pre-rRNA processing. In contrast, it altered gene expression. Ki-67 silencing also had wide-ranging effects on chromatin organisation, disrupting heterochromatin compaction and long-range genomic interactions. Trimethylation of histone H3K9 and H4K20 was relocalised within the nucleus. Finally, overexpression of human or Xenopus Ki-67 induced ectopic heterochromatin formation. Altogether, our results suggest that Ki-67 expression in proliferating cells spatially organises heterochromatin, thereby controlling gene expression.