Friday, February 13, 2009
Western blotting was invented in the 1970's, and its name is a play on "Southern blot." Since then, the western has come a long way, baby. The Western has become one of the most widely used methods in the field of biology. Nowadays, blots are visualized using CCD cameras and fluorescent or chemiluminescent reagents, instead of the old colorimetric systems and the naked eye. These advancements have made it possible to detect picomolar or even femtomolar quantities of protein. Reagent kits commonly pair horseradish peroxidase with luminol, a chemical that gives off light when oxidized. Some features to look for in detection kits are ease of use, a protocol that allows stripping and reprobing, ability to detect a wide range of concentrations, and compatibility with different types of membranes. Other innovations becoming available in detection reagents are longer-lasting chemiluminescence, and multichannel detection—for example the use of three different fluorescent dyes in the same reaction. It's clear that the new western blot is not your father's western blot. Advances in imaging technologies combined with ultrasensitive detection reagents have made the western blot a twenty-first century tool. Check out the vendors below to find the right reagents to take your western to the next level.