Ki-67 detects a nuclear matrix-associated proliferation-related antigen. I. Intracellular localization during interphase.

Ki-67 is a commercially available mouse monoclonal antibody, which reacts with a nuclear antigen in proliferating cells. The antibody can be used to determine the growth fraction of human tumours in situ and has been shown to be of prognostic importance. In this study it is shown that in interphase cells Ki-67 reacts with an antigen, mainly present in the nucleoli. Confocal scanning laser microscopy and immunoelectron microscopy on human MR65 monolayer cells revealed that this nucleolar antigen is predominantly localized in the nucleolar cortex and in the dense fibrillar components. The Ki-67 antigen appeared to be preserved in nuclear matrix preparations obtained after in situ fractionation of MR65 cells. Despite many efforts, we could not identify the antigen in immunoblotting or immunoprecipitation assays. Testing of cell cultures of different species by means of indirect immunofluorescence revealed that the antibody reacted with human cells and with the Rhesus monkey kidney-derived cell line LLC-MK2.