Heparanase Promotes Tumor Growth and Liver Metastasis of Colorectal Cancer Cells by Activating the p38/MMP1 Axis

Heparanase (HPSE), the only known mammalian endoglycosidase responsible for heparan sulfate cleavage, is a multi-faceted protein affecting multiple malignant behaviors in cancer cells. In this study, we examined the expression of HPSE in different colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines. Gene manipulation was applied to reveal the effect of HPSE on proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of CRC. Knockdown of HPSE resulted in decreased cell proliferation in vitro, whereas overexpression of HPSE resulted in the opposite phenomenon. Consistently, in vivo data showed that knockdown of HPSE suppressed tumor growth of CRC. Furthermore, knockdown of HPSE inhibited invasion and liver metastasis in vitro and in vivo. RNA-sequencing analysis was performed upon knockdown of HPSE, and several pathways were identified that are closely associated with invasion and metastasis. In addition, HPSE is positively correlated with MMP1 expression in CRC, and HPSE regulates MMP1 expression via p38 MAPK signaling pathway. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that HPSE knockdown attenuated tumor growth and liver metastasis in CRC, implying that HPSE might serve as a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of CRC.