Serum-separating tube Serum-separating tube Serum-separating tubes, also known as serum separator tubes or SSTs, are used in medical clinical chemistry tests requiring blood serum. SSTs are sometimes called "marble-top tubes," "tiger-tops," or "gold-topped tubes", referring to the stoppers which are either gold, red with a gold ring on top, or marbled red and grey. Marble-top tubes are also referred to as "tiger-tops" in some clinics. SPS tubes have a paler colour, sometimes leading confusion; these are known as "yellow tops" not "gold". Trademarked versions include Covidien "Corvac" tubes. They contain a special gel that separates blood cells from serum, as well as
P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 is a glycoprotein found on white blood cells and endothelial cells that binds to P-selectin (P stands for platelet), which is one of a family of selectins that includes E-selectin (endothelial) and L-selectin (leukocyte). Selectins are part of the broader family of cell adhesion molecules. PSGL-1 can bind to all three members of the family but binds best (with the highest affinity) to P-selectin. PSGL-1 protein requires two distinct posttranslational modifications to gain its selectin binding activity: PSGL-1 is expressed on all white blood cells and plays an important role in the recruitment of white blood cells into inflamed tissue: