Stimulation of chondroitin sulfate synthesis by beta-D-xyloside in chondrocytes of the proteoglycan deficient mutant nanomelia.

The potential of nanomelic chondrocytes to synthesize chondroitin sulfate was investigated by providing the mutant cells with p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xyloside, a compound which acts as an artificial acceptor for glycosaminoglycan synthesis. Under these conditions the synthesis of chondroitin sulfate in nanomelic and normal chondrocytes is comparable. The chondroitin sulfate synthesized by the mutant is indistinguishable in molecular size and composition from that synthesized by similarly treated normal chondrocytes.