Kohdesolu

Kohdesolu is a term used in biology and medicine to denote a cell that serves as the specific target of a signaling molecule, hormone, cytokine, or therapeutic agent. In practice, a cell becomes a kohdesolu when it expresses the molecular structures required for recognition by the ligand, most commonly receptors on the cell surface or inside the cell that bind the ligand and trigger a cellular response. Only cells bearing the relevant receptor or binding site are capable of responding, making them the functional targets of the signal.

The identity and distribution of kohdesolu determine where and how a biological signal acts. For hormones like insulin, target cells in liver, muscle, and adipose tissue respond due to insulin receptors. In immunology, cells presenting a specific antigen or expressing a particular receptor can be targeted by immune effectors. In pharmacology and cancer therapy, kohdesolu refer to cells that express the drug target, such as a receptor, enzyme, or protein; therapies aim to bind these targets with high specificity, influencing efficacy and safety.

Methods to identify kohdesolu include receptor expression profiling, flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, and gene expression analysis. The concept is central to understanding tissue responses, drug action, and targeted treatments, including biologics and radiopharmaceuticals where drug delivery or radiation concentrates on specified cell populations.