Maximizing the Performance of Your Western Blot

27 Jun 2018

In this note find tips to make the most of your near-infrared (NIR) Western Blot. Some of the factors, including antibody quality, blocking agent selection, contamination and membrane variability that may alter the performance and imaging of a NIR Western blot are discussed. Methods of maximizing performance using the Odyssey Infrared Imaging System and Odyssey software are also described.

Links

Tags

Western BlottingWestern blotting equipment is used to transfer and identify specific proteins within a sample, reveal protein modifications, as well as give a semi-quantitative estimation of their concentration. Western blotting equipment includes all apparatus necessary to transfer proteins from gel to membrane and subsequent processing steps. Protein transfer can be performed by electroblotting with wet, semi-dry and dry transfer systems onto nitrocellulose and PVDF membranes. Blocking, washing and labeling of membranes follows, involving buffers, blocking reagents, blotting / incubation trays, labeling reagents, immunoblotting assays, antibodies and conjugates. Automated equipment for these steps is available to accelerate your lab workflow. Finally, detection and imaging of proteins can be conducted using gel documentation and imaging systems. Find the best western blotting equipment in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.ProteomicsProteomics is the systemic bioinformatics study of proteins and amino acids, including their structure, size, function and identification. Tools used in proteomics include chromatography, blotting and gels, protein arrays, mass spectrometry and ELISA and associated analysis software. Analyzers and proteomic systems should be sensitive, high resolution, fast and may be automated for high-throughput.Protein QuantificationThe detection and quantification of proteins in a sample is vital across life sciences, pharmaceutical research and clinical diagnostics, and a variety of equipment is available to scientists to simplify the workflow. Proteins of interest can be easily labeled and detected on light-based detection instruments. Immunoassay kits allow you to identify a specific protein of interest and protein detection beads or antibody microarrays allow you to identify multiple specific proteins at once. Protein interactions and enzyme activity can also be monitored with protein-protein interaction assays. Additionally, the biophysical characterization of proteins is made easy with biokinetic analyzers. Find the best protein detection and quantification products in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.Protein Biology
Maximizing the Performance of Your Western Blot