The present invention is directed to methods and compositions for
determining the presence, absence, and/or amounts of one or more
membrane-associated analytes in a sample. In accordance with the
invention, binding compounds derivatized with releasable molecular tags
specifically bind to selected membrane-associated analytes, after which
the molecular tags are released upon activation of cleavage moieties, or
sensitizers, anchored in the same membrane as the membrane-associated
analytes. The released molecular tags are then identified by their
distinct separation and detection characteristics.