Western Blotting and Antibodies
Western blotting employs antibodies to pinpoint specific proteins of interest in complex protein mixtures such as cell extracts. Because of its accuracy, western blotting is used as the confirmatory diagnostic test for HIV and mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy). Western blotting is used extensively in research to determine the presence of specific proteins, to quantify their expression levels, and to determine whether they have undergone genetic or posttranslational modifications. This surefire method categorically identifies proteins of interest based on two distinguishing features: molecular mass and antibody binding specificity.
When foreign invaders are detected, animal immune systems naturally generate antibodies and tag them for destruction. The ability of antibodies to act like magic bullets and target viral, bacterial, and allergenic antigens in the body also makes them ideal tools in the hunt for specific molecules in bioscience research and diagnostic tests.
Western blot of protein profiler gel reveals precise location of myosin light chain proteins.
