Western

[Ian A. York]

In article <39882A4B.ABB17C14 at biocomp.unl.edu>,
Chris LaRosa  <clarosa at biocomp.unl.edu> wrote:
>
>I have used BCIP/NBT westerns for years. Can you elaborate on the
>advantages of these chemiluniescence systems.   If they are most
>commonly used there must be a reason..... Better quality images??

I switched from the various colourimetric to chemiluminescent five or six
years ago.  In general, the chemiluminescent are more sensitive and have
lower background, though the lower background is a relatively recent
improvement.  If antibody is limiting, or expensive, you can usually get
away with lower first and second antibody concentrations. There are other
advantages:  The record is more permanent, it's easier to photograph and
scan, and it's easily possible to get multiple exposures: if you have
bands of different intensities you can get several from one blot.  It's
also simple to run multiple sequential probes on a single blot:  I
routinely run three or four antibodies sequentially on each blot.

But if your system ain't broke, don't fix it.

Ian 
-- 
    Ian York   (iayork at panix.com)  <http://www.panix.com/~iayork/>
    "-but as he was a York, I am rather inclined to suppose him a
     very respectable Man." -Jane Austen, The History of England