binding site

noun

plural binding sites

: a location on a molecule or cell surface at which a chemical substance (such as an element or molecule) can bind (see bind entry 1 sense 5b)

A ligand is a molecule or ion whose shape is complementary to the shape of a binding site on a particular protein molecule.

—Gary A. Thibodeau

… the most favorable binding site of atomic antimony is the terminal carbon …

—Zhenjun Song et al.

The main calcium binding site within each monomer involves the main chain oxygen atom …

—Brian A. Fox et al.

Note: A binding site may demonstrate specificity for a particular chemical substance.

Examples of binding site in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In bacteria, transcription factors are rather like keys that fit the locks of unique binding sites on DNA. — Philip Ball, Quanta Magazine, 18 June 2026

That enhanced fiber swelling under microwaving exposes a greater number of accessible binding sites for pigment on keratin. — Jennifer Bringle, Footwear News, 17 June 2026

But once the cap is removed during entry, the binding site becomes fully exposed. — William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2026

The head contains the ATP-binding site, a small converter region, and the actin-binding site. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Apr. 2026

With their new system, the team watched how single flu virus particles move across the surface of a cell under different conditions, like when specific viral proteins were blocked, when fewer binding sites were available on the cell, or when different virus types were tested. — Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 12 Dec. 2025

Memantine Memantine works by preventing glutamate from attaching to the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor (binding site). — Ross Phan, Verywell Health, 12 Aug. 2025

During this last step of the process, which takes the longest, there are very few available binding sites in the fiberlike structures, which have to slowly move and bend to make the remaining binding sites available. — Trevor Grandpre, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2024

By being able to predict protein binding sites, AlphaFold3 will enhance researchers’ drug development capabilities. — Marc Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 10 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for binding site

• acolyte
• aconite
• allanite
• alunite
• amberlite
• ammonite
• amorite
• amphitrite
• analyte
• anchorite
• andesite
• anhydrite

Medical Definition

binding site

noun

: a region on a molecule or cell surface at which the combining of chemical substances takes place

Proteins called transcription factors bind to these short DNA strings—transcription factor binding sites—to regulate the production of messenger RNA and thus the synthesis of proteins.

—Leonid Kruglyak and David L. Stern, Science