Epiphycan (EPYC)

Deere et al. (1996) cloned and sequenced the human homolog of chick PG-Lb from 2 human chondrocyte cDNA libraries and a human chondrocyte RNA sample. They named the human homolog dermatan sulfate proteoglycan 3 (DSPG3) and stated that it was the third member of the small dermatan sulfate proteoglycan family to be identified and characterized, with biglycan and decorin.

Deere et al. (1996) mapped the DSPG3 gene to 12q21. They confirmed the localization by PCR mapping of DSPG3 to a YAC contig map of chromosome 12. The 1,515-bp DSPG3 gene encodes a predicted 322-amino acid protein. The protein contains 3 potential glycosaminoglycan attachment sites, 2 N-glycosylation sites, a polyglutamic acid stretch, and 6 cysteines.