Heparan sulfate is a sulfated glycosaminoglycan with the repeating disaccharide units of -4HexA1,4GlcNAcb1-. It is usually attached to the protein cores of proteoglycans found on the cell membrane and in the extracellular matrix where it binds to a variety of protein ligands and regulates a wide range of biological activities. Heparan sulfate has a domain structure where sulfated regions are interspaced with less or non-sulfated regions. Heparin shares the backbone structure with heparan sulfate but contains no non-sulfated regions. Heparinases are a family of lyases that release unsaturated oligosaccharides from heparin and heparan sulfate upon digestion. Heparinase I recognizes highly sulfated regions and is more specific for heparin. Heparinase II digests both heparin and heparan sulfate. Heparinase III prefers less-sulfated regions and is more active on heparan sulfate. Source: E. coli-expressed recombinant protein corresponding to Gln25-Pro659 of P. heparinus Heparinase III, with an N-terminal Met and 6-His tag Molecular Weight: Predicted: 74kD Observed: 66kD (SDS-PAGE, reducing conditions) Activity: Measured by its ability to liberate oligosaccharides from heparin. Specific Activity: >3,000 pmoles/min/ug Storage and Stability: Aliquot to avoid repeated freezing and thawing and store at -70C. Aliquots are stable for 6 months after receipt. For maximum recovery of product, centrifuge the original vial after thawing and prior to removing the cap.
