Tumor-derived syndecan-1 mediates distal cross-talk with bone that enhances osteoclastogenesis.

Tumor-stimulated bone resorption fuels tumor growth and marks a dramatic decline in the health and prognosis of breast cancer patients. Identifying mechanisms that mediate cross-talk between tumor and bone remains a key challenge. We previously demonstrated that breast cancer cells expressing high levels of heparanase exhibit enhanced shedding of the syndecan-1 proteoglycan. Moreover, when these heparanase-high cells are implanted in the mammary fat pad, they elevate bone resorption. In this study, conditioned medium from breast cancer cells expressing high levels of heparanase was shown to significantly stimulate human osteoclastogenesis in vitro (p < .05). The osteoclastogenic activity in the medium of heparanase-high cells was traced to the presence of syndecan-1, intact heparan sulfate chains, and heat-labile factor(s), including the chemokine interleukin 8 (IL-8). The enhanced osteoclastogenesis promoted by the heparanase-high cells results in a dramatic increase in bone resorption in vitro. In addition, the long bones of animals bearing heparanase-high tumors in the mammary fat pad had significantly higher numbers of osteoclasts compared with animals bearing tumors expressing low levels of heparanase (p < .05). Together these data suggest that syndecan-1 shed by tumor cells exerts biologic effects distal to the primary tumor and that it participates in driving osteoclastogenesis and the resulting bone destruction.