The molecular-weight distribution of glycosaminoglycans

1. A rapid and sensitive method for the accurate estimation of the molecular-weight distribution of keratan sulphate and chondroitin sulphate isolated from adult bovine nasal septum and intervertebral disc is described. The method utilizes gel chromatography of reductively labelled glycosaminoglycan and end-group estimation of number-average molecular weight for each fraction across the peak of eluted glycosaminoglycan. 2. Chain-length distribution data obtained by this procedure are used to evaluate mechanisms of chondroitin sulphate biosynthesis.