Rat serosal mast cells cultured in the presence of heat-inactivated fetal calf serum incorporated (35S) sulfate into heparin proteoglycan of approximately Mr = 750,000 after a 3-h pulse and a 2-h chase. beta-D-Xyloside (0.1 mM) treatments of cultures of rat mast cells resulted in an insignificant increase in total (35S) sulfate incorporation and the appearance of free glycosaminoglycans without a change in proteoglycan size. At higher beta-D-xyloside concentrations, total (35S)sulfate incorporation was inhibited and an increase in the relative glycosaminoglycan content was observed concomitant with a reduction in proteoglycan amount and size. As assessed by susceptibility to digestion by chondroitinase ABC, hydrolysis by nitrous acid, [3H]hexosamine content, and electrophoretic mobility, only heparin chains were polymerized onto the proteoglycan core in all cultures. In contrast, individual glycosaminoglycans which appeared only after beta-D-xyloside treatment were predominantly chondroitin sulfate rather than heparin, indicating that the beta-D-xyloside acceptor supported polymerization of chondroitin sulfate but not of heparin glycosaminoglycan. Thus, the peptide core is an important determinant for the synthesis of heparin glycosaminoglycan by rat peritoneal mast cells.