Effect of heparin on the stimulation of non-vascular cells by human acidic and basic FGF

We have purified acidic and basic fibroblast growth factors from human brain (h-aFGF, h-bFGF) and studied the effect of heparin on the growth stimulation by these factors of hamster fibroblast CC139 cells and bovine epithelial lens (BEL) cells. In both the presence and the absence of foetal calf serum (FCS) heparin cooperates with h-aFGF in a dose dependent manner to stimulate both types of cells. The cooperation with h-bFGF is much less. An unpurified human brain fraction containing both factors behaves differently: in the absence of FCS, heparin enhances the activity of the crude fraction on BEL cells, while in the presence of FCS, it decreases this activity. These results indicate that heparin cooperates strongly with h-aFGF to stimulate non-vascular cell proliferation while in a partially purified extract and in the presence of serum it can induce the opposite effect.