Question

Can you assume that no two proteins will migrate to the same location on a polyacrylamide gel?

Why do the proteins migrate from the gel to the membrane during the western blot transfer?

Answer 1

1. We can that no two proteins will migrate to the same location for polyacrylamide gel. Because inside a living cell, there is an abundance of proteins and all the protein are almost different from each other. They are different in their size and structure. Single band on the gel contain many copies of only one type of protein but not multiple copies of more than one type of protein.

Therefore we can assume that there is only one type of protein in a given band of gel. But this may not be always true.

2. Before Western blotting occurs, all the proteins are are separated from each other on the basis of their size using polyacrylamide gel electroforesis. In this process, all the proteins are imparted a similar negative charge by the help of detergent sodium dodecyl sulfate. So in western blotting, the negatively charged proteins move towards the positively charged electrode where the membrane is located. This is the principle of Western blotting where the movement of negatively charged protein occur towards the positively charged electrode and get locked inside the the membrane.

Please rate high.