A fibroblast heparan sulphate proteoglycan with a 70 kDa core protein is linked to membrane phosphatidylinositol

Here we present evidence that a fibroblast heparan sulphate proteoglycan of approx. 300 kDa and with a core protein of apparent molecular mass 70 kDa is covalently linked to the plasma membrane via a linkage structure involving phosphatidylinositol. Phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C releases such a heparan sulphate proteoglycan only from cells labelled with [35S]sulphate in the absence of serum. Cell cultures labelled with [3H]myo-inositol in the absence or presence of serum produce a radiolabelled heparan sulphate proteoglycan which was purified by gel-permeation chromatography and ion-exchange chromatography on MonoQ. Digestion with heparan sulphate lyase and analysis by gel-permeation chromatography and sodium dodecylsulphate-polyacrylamide gel-electrophoresis revealed that the 3H-label is associated with a core protein of apparent mass 70 kDa.