Dermatan sulphate is located on serine-4 of bovine skin proteodermatan sulphate. Demonstration that most molecules possess only one glycosaminoglycan chain and comparison of amino acid sequences around glycosylation sites in different proteoglycans.

Digestions of bovine skin proteodermatan sulphate with cathepsin C proved that the dermatan sulphate was located on Ser-4 in most of the molecules. A Ser-Gly sequence is essential for xylosylation of the serine residue and sulphated galactosaminoglycan synthesis in different proteoglycans. Variations in adjoining sequences may be significant in relation to the glycosylation process in different tissues.