Proteoglycan dermatan sulfate-containing

The intima of the arterial wall contains hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, and heparan sulfate proteoglycans. Of these proteoglycans, dermatan sulfate binds plasma low-density lipoproteins. In addition, dermatan sulfate appears to be the major GAG synthesized by arterial smooth muscle cells. Because it is these cells that profiferate in atherosclerotic lesions in arteries, dermatan sulfate may play an important role in development of the atherosclerotic plaque. 

Figure 7. Portion of an intimal smooth muscle cell and the adjacent intercellular matrix from a primate artery (Macaca nemestrina) stained with ruthenium red. The ruthenium red stains numerous polygonal granules associated with each other through 30-60 A diameter filamentous projections which, based on studies with chondroitinases, must represent dermatan sulfate-containing proteoglycans (X 40,000). As shown in the insert, the 30-60 A filaments interconnect granules, collagen fibers, elastin, and the surfaces of cells (X 140,000). Reproduced from Proteoglycans in Primate Arteries. I. Ultrastructural Localization and Distribution in the Intima, by Thomas N. Wight and Russell Ross, J. Cell Biol. (1975) 67,...

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