The western blot (sometimes called the protein immunoblot) is a widely accepted analytical technique used to detect specific proteins in the given sample of tissue homogenate or extract.
It uses gel electrophoresis to separate native proteins by 3-D structure or denatured proteins by the length of the polypeptide. The proteins are then transferred to a membrane (typically nitrocellulose or PVDF), where they are stained with antibodies specific to the target protein.
There are now many reagent companies that specialize in providing antibodies (both monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies) against tens of thousands of different proteins.
Commercial antibodies can be expensive, although the unbound antibody can be reused between experiments.
This method is used in the fields of molecular biology, biochemistry, immunogenetics and other molecular biology disciplines.
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