Human amphiregulin (AR) is a heparin-binding growth factor which functions by binding to and activating the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor tyrosine kinase. AR contains an EGF-like domain (residues 44-84) and a Lys/Arg-rich NH2-terminal extension (residues 1-43). Synthetic peptides corresponding to residues 8-26, 26-44, and 68-84 of AR were tested for their ability to compete for the binding of AR to immobilized heparin. AR8-26 and AR68-84 had no significant effect on the binding of AR to heparin, whereas AR26-44 bound to heparin and blocked the binding of AR to heparin. Both soluble heparin and heparan sulfate inhibited AR-induced mitogenesis in MCF-10A human mammary epithelial cells with an IC50 of 5 and 2 micrograms/ml, respectively, whereas soluble chondroitin sulfate had only a slight inhibitory effect. When MCF-10A cells were grown in the presence of chlorate, an inhibitor of sulfation, or exposed to the glycosaminoglycan-degrading enzymes heparitinase or heparinase, the ability of AR to evoke mitogenesis in these cells was lost. Chlorate, heparitinase, or heparinase treatment inhibited AR-induced autophosphorylation of tyrosine residues in the EGF receptor. None of these treatments had any significant effect on EGF-triggered mitogenic signaling by the EGF receptor. These results indicate that extracellular heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan is essential to AR-induced mitogenic signaling by the EGF receptor tyrosine kinase.