Purpose: The heparan sulfate–degrading endoglycosidase may mediate tumor invasion and metastasis. It isknown that heparanase-1 (HPA-1) plays an important role in cleaving heparan sulfate. In this study weinvestigated its potential role in gastric carcinoma malignant behaviour. Methods: To assess the role of HPA-1,we suppressed its expression using small interfering RNA (siRNA). The human heparanase-1 specific siRNAwas transfected to the human gastric carcinoma cell line SGC7901. The effect of gene silencing was assessed byReal-Time PCR and Western Blot. The invasion potential of the cells was evaluated using an in vitro cell invasionmodel system. Results: The HPA-1 specific siRNA significantly suppressed expression of heparanase-1 in SGC7901cells. Invasion after RNAi treatment through membranes in a model system was significantly decreased. Conclusion: HPA-1 facilitates gastric carcinoma invasion by up-regulating endoglycosidase activity in tumorcells.
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