Heparin-derived disaccharides modulate proliferation and erb-B2-mediated signal transduction in colon cancer cell lines

Organ-specific extracellular matrix (ECM) determines metastasis formation by regulating tumor cell proliferation. Hepatocyte-derived ECM enhances proliferation of colon cancer cell lines by increasing expression of tyrosine kinase receptors of the erb-B family. The active components in the ECM are the heparan sulfates, which are highly heterogenous in their chemistry and size. We determined the effect of heparan sulfate disaccharides, of defined chemistry and present in high amounts in the liver heparan sulfate chains, on the proliferation of colon cancer cell lines and investigated the mechanism involved. The low-metastatic cell line KM 12 was stimulated to proliferate by a highly sulfated disaccharide, found in the highest amounts in hepatocyte-derived heparan sulfate. Growth of the highly metastatic cell line KM12SM was inhibited by the second most common disaccharide in hepatocyte-derived heparan sulfate. The effect of both disaccharides was not accompanied by changes in the expression of erb-B1, erb-B2, erb-B3 or heregulin-α. We determined whether the disaccharides modified the signal-transduction pathways mediated by the erb-B receptors. The erb-B2-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor AG825 abolished the enhancement of KM 12 cell proliferation by the stimulatory disaccharide. This disaccharide increased tyrosine phosphorylation of erb-BI and erb-B2 receptors, effects that were abolished by AG825. Moreover, the disaccharide caused increased expression of cyclin D I and of activated MAP kinase, again reduced in the presence of the inhibitor AG825. The growth-inhibitory disaccharide reduced phosphorylation of erb-B1, but not of erb-B2, receptors in KM12SM cells. In conclusion, not only hepatocyte-derived heparan sulfate but also disaccharide molecules derived from heparan sulfate can affect colon cancer cell proliferation. Their effect is mediated by modulation of the erb-B signal transduction.