What On Earth?

[Zacs-Master]

I pride myself in being able to work out the basics of technology but this one has me stumped. What on earth do these things do?
http://www.lifetechnologies.com/uk/en/home/life-science/protein-expression-and-analysis/western-blotting.html?cid=display_TRFC-WestFlow-CO116306&ef_id=U62yNAAAASSOaEiK:20140627180516:d

[Prudie]

How really bizarre, looks like it might be a result of google translate as none of the words make sense. Something for a lab I guess, found this baffling sentence:
The kits are available with anti-mouse or anti-rabbit secondary antibodies and are compatible with chemiluminescent and chromogenic detection.

[boxtops]

...and what the heck is a western solution??

[Zacs-Master]

I'm glad I'm not the only one!

[woofgang]

western blotting workflow
http://www.piercenet.com/guide/western-blot-workflow-selection-guide

[Baldric]

Any use?

http://www.lifetechnologies.com/uk/en/home/life-science/protein-expression-and-analysis/western-blotting/western-blot-transfer/iblot-dry-blotting-system.html

[woofgang]

To do with identifying the presence or absence of proteins in biological samples
http://www.biocompare.com/Editorial-Articles/41750-The-Western-Blotting-Workflow/

[Zacs-Master]

Balders, ah well if I'd realised they had polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) and nitrocellulose membranes I would have known straight away (????)

[Zacs-Master]

Thanks woof, that's a lot clearer. Not.

[boxtops]

How does a western blot differ from an eastern blot?

[Zacs-Master]

And why aren't there northern and southern ones!?

[boxtops]

Ha - "Western Blotting for Dummies"

http://www.abcam.com/ps/pdf/protocols/wb-beginner.pdf

[Zacs-Master]

Well, I must be a dumb dummy them cos I don't unerstan a word boss.

[boxtops]

Zacs, I don't think I want to, either - some things are meant to be a mystery to the uninitiated :-)

[theprof]

Oh dear. Let me try to explain.

Western blot analysis is in simple terms, a method of identifying specific proteins from a mixture of proteins extracted from cell material. The technique used in separation is called gel electrophoresis. The proteins are transferred to a nitrocellulose or other type of membrane where they are incubated with antibodies that stick to the specific protein. A dye is the added at the end of the process to enhance band visibility. The thickness of the band indicates the amount of the specific protein present.

Western Blot analysis should be called Protein Immunoblot, it's proper name. The "Western Blot" part is really an "in-joke" amongst biochemists, but we all know what it means

[boxtops]

what do you do with it when you've analysed it, prof? what's it for?

[weecalf]

I thought it was a shredder

[Zacs-Master]

Oh dear. Typical 'scientific' explanation. Without any practical application info.

[theprof]

Seems I need to explain the "in-joke". Southern Blot Analysis was invented by a chap called Sir Edwin Southern while he was working at Edinburgh University. It was a method of DNA analysis.

RNA analysis was developed by George Stark at Stanford University and was correspondingly called Northern Blot Analysis.

This technique was called Western Blot Analysis as it relied on similar principles.

We Biochemists are a sad lot aren't we?

[Zacs-Master]

.......

[Prudie]

OK so if we club together and buy one of these things what could we actually do with it? So who uses it? medical labs?