Detection of mutations in the cDNA of the proliferation marker Ki-67 protein in four tumor cell lines.

The Ki-67 protein has an essential role in cell proliferation. It is present in all dividing cells of normal and tumor tissues, but absent in resting cells. At present, no data are available about any alterations in the gene of this protein that could contribute to its altered structure and function, resulting in tumor development. We therefore searched for mutations in the Ki-67 gene (MKI67). cDNAs from four tumor cell lines derived from carcinoma of the cervix (HeLa), colon (CXF94, SW480), and lung (A549) were prepared. Defined parts of the cDNA were amplified by specific primers, cloned into pCRII-Blunt-TOPO vector, and replicated in Escherichia coli. The sequence of the amplified products were determined by automated fluorescence sequencing. Eight different mutations were characterized in the four cell lines tested. One is a deletion of a single base at position 1496 causing a truncated protein, the second is a A433T exchange is a silent mutation, and the remaining six mutations result in an amino acid change that might alter the conformation of the protein. Our results show that several mutations exist within the Ki-67 protein's cDNA in four tumor cell lines. These mutations might provide a genetic basis for tumor development.