Figure 3 Role of cell surface heparan sulphate proteoglycan in connective tissue growth factor module 4 (CCN2₄) mediated pancreatic stellate cell (PSC) adhesion. (A) Cell adhesion assays were performed on CCN2₄ precoated microtitre wells using PSC that were treated with vehicle buffer (no add) or heparin (2 μg/ml) prior to plating. (B) Microtitre wells were coated with 2 μg/ml CCN2₄ or fibronectin (FN) prior to addition of PSC that had been pretreated at 37°C for 30 minutes with vehicle buffer (no add), 2 units/ml heparinase I, or chondroitinase ABC. (C) PSC were cultured in complete medium containing 10 mM NaClO₃ for 48 hours in the presence or absence of 10 mM Na₂SO₄ prior to addition to CCN2₄ precoated wells. Data are means (SD) of quadruplicate determinations and are representative of three experiments. **p<0.01 versus control; ††p<0.01 versus “no add” group.