Editing Molecular biology (section)

====Western blotting====
{{main|Western blot}}
A western blot is a technique by which specific proteins can be detected from a mixture of proteins.<ref name="Mahmood-2012" /> Western blots can be used to determine the size of isolated proteins, as well as to quantify their expression.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Western blot {{!}} Learn Science at Scitable|url=https://www.nature.com/scitable/definition/western-blot-288/|access-date=2021-11-25|website=www.nature.com|language=en}}</ref> In [[western blot]]ting, proteins are first separated by size, in a thin gel sandwiched between two glass plates in a technique known as [[SDS-PAGE]]. The proteins in the gel are then transferred to a [[polyvinylidene fluoride]] (PVDF), nitrocellulose, nylon, or other support membrane. This membrane can then be probed with solutions of [[antibody|antibodies]]. Antibodies that specifically bind to the protein of interest can then be visualized by a variety of techniques, including colored products, [[chemiluminescence]], or [[autoradiography]]. Often, the antibodies are labeled with enzymes. When a [[chemiluminescent]] [[Substrate (biochemistry)|substrate]] is exposed to the [[enzyme]] it allows detection. Using western blotting techniques allows not only detection but also quantitative analysis. Analogous methods to western blotting can be used to directly stain specific proteins in live [[cell (biology)|cells]] or [[biological tissue|tissue]] sections.<ref name="Mahmood-2012">{{cite journal | vauthors = Mahmood T, Yang PC | title = Western blot: technique, theory, and trouble shooting | journal = North American Journal of Medical Sciences | volume = 4 | issue = 9 | pages = 429–34 | date = September 2012 | doi = 10.4103/1947-2714.100998 | doi-broken-date = 1 November 2024 | doi-access = free | pmid = 23050259 | pmc = 3456489 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Kurien BT, Scofield RH | title = Western blotting | journal = Methods | volume = 38 | issue = 4 | pages = 283–93 | date = April 2006 | pmid = 16483794 | doi = 10.1016/j.ymeth.2005.11.007 }}</ref>