Insect cell conditioned medium contains an endoglycosidase able to liberate chondroitin sulfate chains from aggrecan

Culture medium obtained from baculovirus-infected High Five insect cells contains an endoglycosidase activity capable of releasing chondroitin sulfate chains from aggrecan, decorin and biglycan. Release appears to occur by cleavage within the linkage region of the chondroitin sulfate chain, but not all chains are amenable to release. Culture medium from Sf9 insect cells does not contain this activity. The endoglycosidase may become a useful reagent for biochemical research for releasing intact chondroitin sulfate chains from proteoglycans. It may also represent an impediment to such research when baculovirus systems are used to generate recombinant proteoglycans.