{"id":388,"date":"2020-05-29T13:28:57","date_gmt":"2020-05-29T13:28:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.praxilabs.com\/?p=388"},"modified":"2025-10-11T19:22:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T19:22:18","slug":"western-blot-concept","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/praxilabs.com\/en\/blog\/2020\/05\/29\/western-blot-concept\/","title":{"rendered":"The Concept, Processes, and Applications of Western Blotting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Western blot is an indispensable mechanism in the modern biomedical research laboratory, as well as in laboratories doing research in other areas. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This technique is routinely used now for research purposes, for instance, clinical medical laboratories.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Western blot can be used to identify a specific protein in a sample. Also, it provides information about protein size and relative abundance in the sample.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Western blot is sometimes called \u201c<\/span>protein immunoblot\u201d or \u201cwestern blotting.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It is considered as an analytical technique used mainly in molecular biology and <\/span>immunogenetics<\/span><\/a> where <\/span>antibodies are used to specifically detect their antigen. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The term “blotting” refers to the transfer of biological samples from a gel to a membrane and their subsequent detection on the surface of the membrane.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\"applications<\/span><\/p>\n

The development of the protein blotting techniques is credited to “Harry Towbin.” In 1978 “Harry Towbin” was hired by “Julian Gordon” at the “Friedrich-Miescher-Institute” in Basel for a postdoctoral fellowship. <\/span><\/p>\n

“Harry” and “Julian” worked in cooperation with “Theo Staehelin,” a pioneer in the field of initiation factors for mammalian protein synthesis who had ample expertise in ribosomes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1979 they published a paper entitled \u201cElectrophoretic Transfer<\/a> of Proteins From Polyacrylamide Gels to Nitrocellulose Sheets: Procedure and Some Applications.\u201d This paper provides the beginning of the protein blotting techniques.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Julian<\/span><\/p>\n

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Before discussing the principal and applications of western blotting technique . We need to clarify some definitions similar to western blot such as eastern blot<\/a>, northern blot, and northwestern blot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Actually, the eastern blot <\/span>can be considered as an extension of the biochemical technique of <\/span>western blot a<\/span>nd it is <\/span>often used to detect <\/span>carbohydrate<\/span> epitopes<\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

On another front, northern blot<\/a> also called RNA blot <\/span>is a technique used in <\/span>molecular biology<\/span> research to study <\/span>gene expression<\/span> by detection of <\/span>RNA<\/span> (or isolated <\/span>mRNA<\/span><\/a>) in a sample. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

By combining the northern and western blot, this produced a hybrid called northwestern blot which was used in <\/span>molecular biology<\/span><\/a> to detect interactions between <\/span>RNA<\/span> and <\/span>proteins<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Through the following lines, we will discuss the western blot technique in detail, its applications, and how to perform it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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