General

Western Blot FAQ

The Western Blot is an immunoassay for the detection of proteins in complex samples that is carried out following 4 sequential steps:

  • SDS-PAGE (polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) to separate proteins.
  • Protein transfer to a nitrocellulose or polyvinylpyrrolidone membrane.
  • Incubation of the membrane with a specific antibody against the protein of interest.
  • Detection of antigen-antibody binding.

In this post we bring you a compilation of frequently asked questions about Western Blot that can help you answer questions and improve the performance of your immunoassay.

1.- How many times can I use the antibody solutions once they are prepared?

It is recommended that you always use freshly formulated antibody solutions. In the event that previously made solutions are reused, it is of utmost importance to ensure that no bacterial overgrowth has occurred, especially in cases where the solution has previously been blocked with a blocking agent.

2.- Why do intense bands appear at higher or lower molecular weights than expected?

On some occasions, even using the antibodies at the lowest recommended dilution, it binds to proteins whose bands come out well below or well above the actual molecular weight of the protein of interest. In most of these cases, these bands correspond to isoforms of the protein in question, or to the formation of dimers.

A search is recommended to see if any isoforms are described in the literature or if the protein dimerizes. The use of a different antibody can also be tested.

3.- If you use more than one primary antibody, in what order should they be incubated?

Both simultaneous incubation with all primary antibodies and successive incubation with each is possible.

4.- Is it necessary to measure the protein concentration in the sample before doing the Western Blot?

It is not an essential step, although it is recommended to adjust the amount of sample to be loaded in the gel. The determination of the total protein concentration can be carried out by the BCA method .

5.- How can I separate and transfer proteins with sizes greater than 200kDa?

You can find several tips for transferring large proteins in this post .

6.- How can I avoid background noise?

This is one of the most common western blot frequently asked questions. Background noise may be due to causes as disparate as too high an antibody concentration, nonspecific binding of the secondary antibody, cross-reactions of the antibodies with the blocking agent or insufficient washes, among others.

Here we tell you how to solve these problems in Western Blot.

7.- Is Western Blot a quantitative immunoassay?

The Western Blot is not a quantitative method, since a standard curve for the protein of interest is not usually performed in each blot.

8.- Why are the Western Blot bands different in size than expected?

Although the separation of proteins in the Western Blot is based on their size, there are other variables that can influence the migration speed through the gel, and cause the observed band to differ from what could be predicted based on the actual size of the protein.

The most influencing factors are:

  • Post-translational modifications
  • Post-translational splits
  • Isoforms and other variants
  • Relative load

9.- How much sample should I load in the gel?

The amount will depend on the type of sample we handle:

  • Cell lysates : the amount should be optimized based on the expression levels of the protein of interest in each case, but in general we can load between 20 and 30 ug of total protein per well.
  • Purified protein : 10 to 100 ng of protein are usually loaded.

10.- Why can’t I detect my recombinant protein?

It could be because the recombinant protein that is expressed in the sample does not include the antigenic sequence recognized by the antibody that we are using, or in the case that the recombinant protein is expressed with a tag and it is very bulky or interferes with the antigenic sequence, could prevent its binding to the antibody.

In the case of working with recombinant proteins, it is always recommended to include an endogenous positive control in the Western Blot.

11.- Should I use milk or BSA as a blocking agent?

In general, BSA will give cleaner results since by containing fewer proteins, the probability of cross-reactions with the antibody is reduced.

However, in certain cases, blocking with milk will work better precisely because a greater variety of blocking proteins has the ability to block a greater range of different proteins.

12.- Why do so many bands appear in the Western Blot?

This may be due to several factors, including:

  • The antibody is not specific enough for the target protein.
  • Antigen degradation by proteolysis.
  • Too much protein per lane.
  • Overly sensitive detection system.
  • Ineffective blocking.
  • Antigen concentration too low.

13.- What is the difference between a Western Blot in reducing and non-reducing conditions?

To perform a Western Blot under reducing conditions, a reducing agent such as DTT or B-mercaptoethanol is added to the sample buffer to break the disulfide bridges, whereby the protein will be in its denatured form when the immunoassay is performed. .

14.- Should I use reducing or non-reducing conditions in my test?

Western Blots are usually performed under denaturing conditions. In any case, it is advisable to consult the technical sheet of the antibodies to ensure that they will work against the denatured protein.

General

Glossary Of Antibodies

Research work in the laboratory with antibodies and immunoassays involves familiarizing yourself with a number of specific terms around immunology, immunoglobulins, and the immune response.

In this entry we bring you a short glossary of antibodies that includes the basic and fundamental terminology to better understand the functioning and applications of immunoglobulins in the research laboratory.

ADJUVANT

Chemical compound that is added to the antigen to increase its immunogenicity and thus stimulate the animal’s immune response for the production of antibodies. Freud’s complete / incomplete adjuvants and aluminum hydroxide are among the most common adjuvants.

AFFINITY

Measure of interaction or binding between the antigen and the antibody.

ANTIBODIES

Proteins produced by B lymphocytes of the immune system, also known as immunoglobulins, that identify, bind, and help destroy antigens in a highly specific way.

CONJUGATE ANTIBODY

Antibodies chemically linked to fluorochromes or chromogens to enable visual detection of them.

CAPTURE ANTIBODY

Antibody with which the ELISA plate is covered and which binds to the antigen contained in the sample to be applied later.

DETECTION ANTIBODY

Primary antibody that is used in the sandwich ELISA and that specifically binds to the immobilized antigen.

HUMANIZED ANTIBODY

Genetically engineered antibody where a minimal part of a murine antibody (5-10%) is introduced into a human antibody (90-95%) in order to minimize the response of the human immune system against them.

MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY

Homogeneous population of antibodies produced by a single B lymphocyte clone that specifically recognize a single epitope of the antigen.

MURINE ANTIBODY

Mouse antibody.

POLYCLONAL ANTIBODY

Heterogeneous solution of antibodies produced by different B lymphocytes that recognize different epitopes of the same antigen.

PRIMARY ANTIBODY

Antibody that binds directly to the antigen of interest.

CHIMERIC ANTIBODY

Genetically engineered antibody by fusing parts of a murine antibody (33%) with parts of a human antibody (67%).

SECONDARY ANTIBODY

Conjugated antibody that binds to the primary antibody that recognizes the antigen of interest.

THERAPEUTIC ANTIBODY

A single clone of a specific antibody produced by a cell line that is administered for therapeutic purposes. Therapeutic antibodies can be murine, chimeric, humanized, or fully human.

ANTIGEN

Substance that arouses a specific immune response.

ANTISERUM

Serum from an immunized animal containing the antibodies of interest.

APTAMER

Affinity reagents with antibody-like applications, which specifically bind to the antigen of interest. Unlike antibodies, aptamers are produced in vitro and can be made up of peptides or nucleic acids.

AVIDITY

Measurement of the binding strength of the antigen-antibody complexes.

LIGHT CHAIN

A polypeptide subunit of an immunoglobulin located in each of the arms of the Y-shaped structure (each antibody contains two identical light chains). It has two subdomains: the constant region and the variable region that intervenes in binding to the antigen.

HEAVY CHAIN

Polypeptide subunit of an antibody that defines its isotype. It consists of a constant region (which will vary depending on the immunoglobulin class) and a variable region that is involved in binding to the antigen.

CARRIER

Large, highly antigenic molecule that is conjugated to small antigens to induce a more effective and specific immune response in producing antibodies.

AFFINITY CONSTANT

Numerical value indicating the binding strength between the antigen and the antibody.

OPTIMAL WORKING DILUTION

Antibody concentration with which the maximum positive signal and the minimum background noise and nonspecific signal are achieved.

EPITOPE

The specific region of the antigen that is recognized and to which the antibody binds.

SPECIFICITY

Ability of an antibody to bind only to the desired antigenic determinant.

FAB SHARD

The Fab or antigen-binding fragment is each of the 2 arms of the Y-shaped structure of the antibody. It is obtained after enzymatic digestion of the antibody with papain.

HAPTENE

Small molecules that are only capable of arousing an immune response if they are linked to a Carrier protein.

HYBRIDOMA

Cell line resulting from the fusion of antibody-producing B lymphocytes with an immortalized tumor line (myeloma).

HOST (HOST SPECIES)

Animal species in which the antibodies are generated.

IMMUNOGENICITY

Ability of an antigen to induce the production of antibodies.

IMMUNOGEN

Substance capable of inducing an immune response.

IMMUNOGLOBULINS

Protein families that function as antibodies.

ISOTYPES

Immunoglobulin classes depending on the heavy chains they have.

ANTIBODY LIBRARY

Method to obtain antibodies by creating an ex vivo repertoire of immunoglobulins that can be screened against a specific antigen.

ASCITES FLUID

Fluid extracted from the abdomen of the host animal that contains monoclonal antibodies produced by the hybridomas previously inoculated in the animal.

MYELOMA

Bone marrow tumor that can be adapted to grow indefinitely in cell culture.

PRE-ADSORPTION

Adsorption of the antiserum with proteins or serum of different species to eliminate the antibodies that can give rise to cross reactions.

AFFINITY PURIFICATION

Purification of the antibody against the specific antigen it recognizes.

PURIFICATION BY PROTEIN A / G

Class-specific purification to isolate all Immunoglobulins of a certain isotype, regardless of their affinity for the antigen of interest.

REACTIVITY

Species from which the epitope used in immunization was derived, or those with high homology for that sequence.

CROSS REACTIVITY

Binding of the antibody to similar epitopes of other proteins or antigens.

VARIABLE REGION

Region containing the antigen binding site.

PRE-IMMUNE SERUM

Serum withdrawn before immunization that is used as a control.

TITLE

Assay to determine the optimal concentration of an antibody for a specific application.