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Updated: May 21, 2026

Western Blotting: Sample Preparation to Detection
Published on: October 14, 2010
Sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide denaturing gel electrophoresis and Western blotting techniques
Christine Blancher1, Rob Mc Cormick
1Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Headington, Oxford, UK. christin@well.ox.ac.uk
Abstract:
The study of proteins, their expression and post-translational modification, is a key process in molecular biology. Immunoblotting is a well-established and powerful tool for the study of proteins, which continues to evolve as new reagents and apparatus are developed. This chapter describes in detail the process by which proteins are extracted from cells, quantified, fractionated using poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis, transferred to a membrane, and assessed by immunoblotting. Variations in experimental technique, and new technologies available to the researcher, are also discussed.
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