Ki-67 monoclonal antibody (MAb) reacts with a proliferation associated nuclear antigen in the rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus.

The Ki-67 monoclonal antibody which recognizes a human nuclear antigen expressed by cycling cells but not by resting cells was found to react immunohistochemically with tissues from the rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus. Ki-67 immunoreactivity was restricted to the nucleus. A comparative study with bromodeoxyuridine labelling patterns was carried out to study the association with proliferating cells. In lingual, jejunal and appendix mucosa, skin, adrenal gland, thymus, spleen, bone marrow, testis, growth cartilage, periosteum and periochondrium of long bones the distribution of Ki-67 positive and bromodeoxyuridine labelled cells was similar and consistent with the distribution of proliferating cells in these tissues. In tissue from the brain, kidney, skeletal or cardiac muscle and liver no Ki-67 positive or bromodeoxyuridine labelled cells were seen. In cartilage labelled in vivo with tritiated thymidine, all thymidine labelled cells were also Ki-67 positive. These results suggest that the Ki-67 antibody recognizes a nuclear antigen in the rabbit that is associated with cell proliferation and is expressed by cells in S-phase as well as in other phases of the cell cycle.