Differential role of D cyclins in the regulation of cell cycle by influencing Ki67 expression in HaCaT cells

D-type cyclins are important regulatory proteins of the G1/S phase of the cell cycle however, their specific functions are only partially understood. We show that silencing of individual D-type cyclins has no effect on the proliferation and morphology of Immortalized non-tumorigenic human epidermal (HaCaT) cells, while double and triple D cyclin silencing results in the failure of the cytokinesis leading to the appearance of large multinucleated cells. Both CDC20 and Ki67 mRNA is downregulated in these cells. Ki67 mRNA silenced cells show similar multinucleated cellular phenotype as double or triple D cyclin silenced cells without affecting D cyclin expression, suggesting that Ki67 is necessary for normal G2/M transition. Our data have revealed that cyclin D1 may have a leading role in G1/S phase regulation and suggest an incomplete functional overlap among D cyclins. Our results indicate that beside their well-known functions during the G0-G1/S phase, D-type cyclins play a pivotal role in the regulation of mitosis via influencing Ki67 expression in a downstream manner probably through E2F1 activation in HaCaT cells.