Covalent coupling of neuralizing factors from Xenopus to Sepharose beads: no decrease of inducing activity.

Two neural inducing factors extracted from Xenopus gastrulae, a basic protein from ribonucleoprotein particles and an acidic protein from the high speed supernatant were covalently bound to CNBr-Sepharose or cross-linked CNBr-Sepharose particles. The protein-Sepharose complexes cannot be taken up by the competent ectoderm cells, but both factors remain fully active. The inducing activity is not due to a release of the bound factors. The experiments suggest that both neural inducing factors act on the cell surface of the competent ectoderm cells.