Isolation of Proteoglycans from Cell Cultures and Tissues

Abstract

Proteoglycans are a class of glycosylated proteins characterized by the presence of glycosaminoglycans as a carbohydrate component, which endow them with unique biological as well as biochemical properties. Therefore, isolation of proteoglycans from various biological sources such as cell cultures and tissues could be achieved by ordinary molecular purification procedures utilizing their general molecular properties and by those taking advantages of the presence of glycosaminoglycan moiety. This chapter focuses on the latter experimental procedures, which are particularly useful for obtaining total proteoglycan and glycosaminoglycan species from various biological sources. These protocols could be followed by purification procedures specific to individual proteoglycan species (i.e., by using antibodies to core proteins, or binding proteins to specific sequences of glycosaminoglycans) to select specific molecules.