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0:00
Hi everyone.
The focus of this seminar
will be on Western blotting.
I am going to talk about the
principles, applications,
and techniques involved
in Western blotting.
I am Aldrin Gomes.
I am a Professor and Vice Chair
of the Department
of Neurobiology,
Physiology, and Behavior
at the University of
California, Davis.
0:19
First of all, what really
is Western blotting?
Western blotting is simply
a laboratory technique
that we typically use to
detect a specific protein
or proteins in a complex
sample such as a tissue
or cell homogenate
or any type of extract that
has a lot of proteins.
It allows researchers
to identify
and quantify different proteins
based on their size and charge.
0:44
The name Western is actually
a term that is used
to differentiate it from some
other techniques
that came before,
such as Northern blotting
which is used to detect RNA,
and Southern blotting which
is used to detect DNA.
The Western blotting
technique was first
introduced back in 1979,
and since then up
until December 2023,
this technique has
been mentioned
on PubMed-listed publications
over 400,000 times.
This just goes to
show you how popular
and powerful this technique is.
1:15
Western blotting is
really important
for advancing our
scientific research.
For example, Western blotting is
an integral part of
proteomic studies.
For example, in my
lab we sometimes get
a lot of data from
mass spectrometry,
and we like to
complement that by using
Western blotting to determine
if some of the proteins we saw
being upregulated by
mass spectrometry
are also upregulated
using Western blotting.
It allows us to do a
comprehensive analysis
of proteins in
cells and tissues.
It is also a valuable tool
for validating
potential drug targets,
and understanding the
mechanisms of action
of different therapeutic agents.
What I use it for in
my lab is to help
