Acrylamide

[Richard P. Grant]

In article <20020116170628.10945.qmail at ww02.jatek.com>,
 Sophie <sweiss at icr.ac.uk> wrote:

> I am having major problems carrying out western blots. I ALWAYS end up with
> a smear down the lane instead of a tight, compact band. I know that my
> protein isn't degraded and that the antibodies are specific to the protein
> and I have remade all my buffers. The only thing I can think of that might
> be causing a problem is the acrylamide. I read that acrylamide can last up
> to 9 months unopened and mine has been open for about 18 months, do you
> think this could be affeecting my gels?
> 

My only experience of smeary SDS-PAGE has been when I've inadvertantly 
got the resolving and stacking buffers mixed up . . . ahem.  Do your 
stained gels look like this or is it just the Westerns?

r

-- 
*nods vigorously in Harro's support*    All I have is a mental image
of two crazy loons in a London pub sweeping the table of glasses and
bottles and then rushing to the bar making engine noises for another
round.    - Alexandre Grand-Clement in comp.sys.mac.games.flight-sim