Ligand Binding

Radioligand binding assays are an important tool in many disciplines in biological sciences, both in academic and industrial laboratories. It evaluates the interaction of a molecule (ligand) specifically binding to a protein (receptor).

Advantages:

The most frequently used assay is the membrane filtration receptor assay
Filtration assays are used for speed and convenience
Applicable to most known neurotransmitter and hormone receptor systems
³H radioligands can be left chemically unaltered, and thus, biologically indistinguishable from the unlabeled compound, and they have a longer half-life (12 years vs. 60 days)
Iodinated radioligands have a higher specific activity, which makes them particularly useful if the density of receptors is low

ligand image map