The invention provides methods and kits for detecting and/or measuring
receptor homodimers on a cell surface membrane. In one aspect, the
methods employ pairs of probes comprising binding compounds and a
cleaving probe, such that at least one binding compound binds
specifically to the same epitope of a membrane-bound analyte as the
cleaving probe. The binding compound includes one or more molecular tags
attached through a cleavable linkage, and the cleaving probe includes a
cleavage-inducing moiety that can cleave the linkage when within a
defined proximity thereto. Binding of the two probes to a homodimer of a
cell surface molecules results in release of molecular tags from the
binding compounds, providing a measure of formation of the homodimeric
complex.