ABSTRACT
Western blotting is a method to detect specific proteins in a mixture of proteins, e.g., cellular lysates. It is used to measure the expression of specific proteins in cells. It can also be used to detect
antibodies
in serum against
allergens
(other methods would be
RAST
,
Phadiatop
,
and
CAP
-
system
). In general, proteins are first separated on SDS-page, and then transferred to a nitrocellulose filter. These filters are then incubated with specific
antibodies
or serum,
washed, and again incubated with secondary labeled antibodies to determine protein expression or the presence of allergen-specific antibodies.