Protein sequence alignment of human DSPG3/PGLB, biglycan (BGN), decorin (DCN), lumican (LUM), fibromodulin (FMOD), and prolargin (PRELP). Amino acids whose codons are interrupted by an intron are in bold and underlined; where an intron occurs between two codons, both encoded amino acids are underlined. Intron phase is shown at top (0) Intron between codons; (I) intron after first base of codon; (II) intron after second base of codon. The first intron of each gene is upstream of the start codon; distance upstream is shown (e.g., −13 bp for DSPG3/PGLB). The LRRs are numbered and indicated by lines at bottom; consensus sequence of each LRR is also shown. (Uppercase letters) Amino acids completely conserved; (lowercase letters) >50% conserved in the six sequences; (*) the conserved cysteines flanking the LRRs. The central portion of the protein alignment that was used in the evolutionary analysis is in uppercase letters.