Embryonal cell surface recognition. Extraction of an active plasma membrane component.

Plasma membranes obtained from different neural regions of the chicken embryo have previously been shown to specifically bind to homotypic cells and prevent cell aggregation (Merrell, R., and Glaser, L. (1973) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 70, 2794-2798). Proteins responsible for the specific inhibition of cell aggregation have been solubilized from the plasma membrane of neural retina and optic tectum by delipidation with acetone followed by extraction with lithium diiodosalicylate. The extracts show the same regional and temporal specificity as previously shown for plasma membrane recognition by the same cells (Gottlieb, D. I., Merrell, R., and Glaser, L. (1974) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 71, 1800-1802). Two micrograms of the most purified protein fraction inhibits the aggregation of 2.5 times 10(-4) cells under standard assay conditions. This represents a 20-fold increase in specific activity compared to whole membranes.