CYCLING In synthetic receptor targeting, the plasma membranes of living cells are loaded with synthetic compounds that function as nonnatural receptors. In this illustration, the light blue portion is the cell surface, which has been loaded with receptors that have protein-binding motifs. The darker blue portion is the intracellular region, and the boundary between them is the plasma membrane. A macromolecular ligand, in this case antifluorescein IgG, binds to the receptor, triggering the formation of lipid rafts and the uptake of the receptor-ligand complex via endocytosis. Nonnatural receptors capable of dissociating from the ligand are recycled to the cell surface.
COURTESY OF BLAKE PETERSON
Chemical & Engineering News
Copyright © 2003 American Chemical Society
