Southern/Northern/Western Blots - Chapter 34

Flashcards covering essential concepts related to Southern, Northern, and Western blots from the lecture notes.

Southern Blot

A technique used to identify specific DNA fragments separated by gel electrophoresis, named after Ed Southern.

Hybridization

The process of forming a stable duplex between a labeled probe and its complementary DNA sequence.

Agarose Gel Electrophoresis

A method for separating DNA fragments based on size by running them through a gel.

Probe DNA

A labeled single-stranded DNA used to detect complementary sequences on a membrane.

Northern Blot

A technique used to detect specific RNA sequences, similar to Southern blotting.

Western Blot

A technique used to detect specific proteins using antibodies after size separation on an acrylamide gel.

Stringency of Hybridization

Refers to the conditions (temperature, salt concentration) that influence the specificity of probe binding to target sequences.

Polypeptide

A chain of amino acids that can fold into a protein.

DNA Probes

Molecules that can bind to specific DNA sequences, used in various blotting techniques for detection.

Antigenic Site

A specific region on a protein where antibodies bind.