Ribonucleoprotein particles from Xenopus eggs and embryos. Neural-archencephalic-inducing activity of the protein moiety

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Abstract
Ribonucleoprotein particles were isolated from unfertilized eggs and gastrula stages of X. laevis. The particles from both stages induce in gastrula ectoderm the formation of large foreheads (neural-archencephalic-inducing activity), whereas ribosomal subunits have no inducing activity. The inducing activity of particles from both stages is largely abolished after treatment with proteolytic enzymes and to some extent with ribonuclease. The protein moiety of gastrula ribonucleoprotein particles was extracted with phenol and the protein reduced with 2-mercaptoethanol. The protein induces foreheads, but at a lower rate than the intact particles. The protein was fractionated by high-performance liquid-size-exclusion chromatography on a derivatized silica gel with 75% formic acid as eluent. The fraction which includes proteins from 10,000-16,000 Da [dalton] has the highest neural-archencephalic-inducing activity.