Isolation and partial characterization of a dermatan sulphate proteoglycan from pig skin

A dermatan sulphate proteoglycan, representing approximately 30% of the dermatan sulphate in pig skin, has been isolated and purified. The preparation contained only trace amounts of other glycosaminoglycans and was completely free from collagen. It contained 58% of protein (w/w) and all of the polysaccharide chains were bound to the protein via alkali-labile linkages. The proteoglycan was polydisperse; the major portion had a weight-average molecular weight of 2.9·106, but the presence of non-covalent aggregates could not be excluded. The weight-average molecular weight of the constituent polysaccharide chains was 15 000.