A flow cytometry-based assay to quantify the binding of transmembrane ligands to their cognate receptors using fluorescent virus-like particles

The binding of transmembrane (TM) ligands to their cognate TM receptors on neighboring cells governs intercellular adhesion and direct cell–cell communication. However, these interactions are difficult to study in vitro because they depend on membrane presentation, ligand orientation, receptor clustering, and avidity, features often not captured by soluble recombinant ligands or cell-free assays. Here, we describe a flow cytometry–based assay using fluorescent, lentiviral-derived virus-like particles (VLPs) displaying TM ligands to quantify binding to their receptors on target cells. Fluorescent VLPs are generated in-house by plasmid transfection in HEK293T cells and enable direct fluorescent detection without fluorochrome-conjugated secondary antibodies. The system is modular and readily accommodates engineered ligand constructs, including patient-derived variants. We applied this platform to generate ICAM-1–displaying fluorescent VLPs and to study human LFA-1 function in patient-derived leukocytes. This protocol provides a detailed workflow for VLP production and in vitro binding assays, offering a simple, quantitative, and cost-effective approach for studying TM ligand–receptor interactions in a membrane context. The system is well suited for mechanistic studies, functional assessment of patient-derived variants, and direct binding assays using patient-derived cells. Integrating the assay into multicolor flow cytometry panels enables simultaneous immunophenotyping and quantification of up to four ligand-receptor interactions at single-cell resolution.