Syndecan-1 regulates FGF8b responses in S115 mammary carcinoma cells.

In murine mammary carcinoma cells Shionogi 115 (S115) testosterone induces phenotypical transformation which is largely due to expression of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 8b. Concomitantly, the expression of the cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycan syndecan-1 is down-regulated. However, if syndecan-1 expression is maintained by transfection with a testosterone-driven syndecan-1 construct, transformation does not occur.

Expression and characterization of minican, a recombinant syndecan-1 with extensively truncated core protein.

Syndecan-1 is an integral membrane heparan sulfate/chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, involved in the control of cell growth and differentiation. The biological activities of syndecan-1 involve interactions with a variety of extracellular ligands, such as growth factors and matrix components, that are mainly mediated by the heparan sulfate moieties. The expression of syndecan-1 is downregulated in various malignant tumors, and low levels of expression appear to correlate with poor prognosis of some cancer types.