Western blot

By Jamshed Arslan Pharm.D.

The Western Blot – a tried and true experimental protocol where protein structures are separated via molecular weight/charge and transferred to a membrane before visualization by a chemiluminescent solution (say that three times fast!). Seems simple, right?  While the step-by-step process of a western blot has for the most part remained the same over the years, variations in solutions, procedures and reagents may increase the efficacy of your results.

Western blotting is one of the most commonly used antibody assay techniques in cell and molecular biology research since its development over three decades ago, and is considered the gold standard for protein detection and quantification.

Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is a well-known housekeeping gene with functions in glycolysis. Many biologists are familiar with the gene and use GAPDH antibodies for a loading control when performing western blots. However, this primarily cytoplasmic protein is an essential metabolic regulator and has been shown to be involved in a variety of cellular processes like DNA repair, membrane fusion, and cell death (1).

The Western blot is one of the most commonly used antibody assay techniques in cell and molecular biology research since its development over three decades ago, and is considered the gold standard for protein detection and quantification. The traditional Western blot can be a labor-intensive and time-consuming process, leading many researchers to seek an alternative method that is more efficient, reproducible and quantitative.

LC3B is subunit component of the LC3 autophagy biomarker associated with microtubule-associated proteins MAP1A and MAP1B and one of the best characterized markers to date. In resting state, it is cytosolic, but upon activation, is lapidated and becomes embedded in the autophagosomal membrane.

A growing body of data and studies using actin antibodies supports a view of the actin cytoskeleton of smooth muscle cells as a dynamic structure that plays an integral role in regulating the development of mechanical tension and the material properties of smooth muscle tissues.

I began using the HSP60 antibody (NB110-57063) in June of 2010 and it worked well. I do not like to buy antibodies that have not been tested in the species for which I will use them, so I picked this antibody because it had already been tested in rat tissue. I split the antibody into 20ul aliquots and stored it at -20C. I first ran a Western blot with 15ug of a RIPA whole cell lystate from WKPT cells a rat kidney immortalized cell line derived from the S1 proximal tubule segment.

I first tried the PBP antibody (NB110-93495) in June of 2010 and it worked well. I picked this antibody because it had been tested in rat tissue, so I was confident it would work for my rat samples. I stored the PBP antibody in 20ul aliquots after it arrived then stored it at -20C and used it over a 3 month period. I ran a Western blot with 15ug of a RIPA whole cell lystate from WKPT cells a rat kidney immortalized cell line derived from the S1 proximal tubule segment.

Microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3) is considered one of the definitive markers of autophagy, and its use is widespread in labs throughout the world. Despite its popularity, there are several considerations when employing LC3 antibodies in immunoassays, Western blots in particular.