Human xylosyltransferase II (EC 2.4.2.26, XT-II) represents an isoform of xylosyltransferase I (XT-I). Recently, we and others provided first evidence that XT-II is capable of initiating the biosynthesis of glycosaminoglycan chains in proteoglycans. Here, a soluble form of human XT-II was expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris and the substrate specificity for various acceptors was investigated, pointing to a modified bikunin peptide to be the optimal XT-II acceptor (K-M=1.9 mu M). Furthermore, biochemical characterization of XT-II showed that this enzyme was strongly inhibited by nucleotides and glycosaminoglycans. Its temperature optimum, stability, and ion dependency were further examined, demonstrating necessity for Mg2+ or Mn2+ ions for its enzymatic activity. Our data show for the first time that XT-I and XT-II are xylosyltransferases with similar but not identical properties, pointing to their potential role in modulatina the cellular proteoglycan pool. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.