Glycosaminoglycans of Rat Cerebellum: I. Quantitative Analysis of the Main Constituents at Postnatal Day 6

Isolated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) were quantified biochemically in the cerebella of 6-day-old rats. 14C-Labeled hyaluronic acid (HA) and chondroitin-4-sulfate (C-4-S), added prior to isolation of GAGs from tissue, served as internal standards to allow correction for unknown losses during the purification procedure and exact quantification of GAGs in the intact tissue. Three main constituents--HA, chondroitin sulfate (CS), and heparan sulfate (HS)--were found at concentrations of 1.82, 1.52, and 0.76 micrograms/mg protein amounting to 44%, 37%, and 19% of the total GAG fraction, respectively. Incorporation of [3H]glucosamine precursor into GAGs was higher for HS (56% of incorporated precursor) and lower for HA (29%) and CS (15%). The specific activities of individual GAGs were 64.7 nCi/micrograms for HS, 14.2 for HA, and 8.3 for CS.