WISE journal entry #13

Name: Leah Gerald

Entry: #13 (4/4/2012)

WISE Week: 6

Written on Date:4/10/2012

Mentor: Sagar


today I was able to fully witness, until the last step of course, the process of making a western block. a western block is something my mentors use to compare the amount of proteins given off by certain cells in certain conditions.

the different rows (horizontal) show how much protein appears in different conditions. the lines (vertical) show the different sizes of proteins and where in the spectrum your protein of interest falls.what we had to do first, was mix the protein with a dye so it would be easy to see. then we had to put the protein in a hot bath, because proteins take a string-like shape, and when they are in the mixture they are all jumbled up. heating them up makes them spread out somewhat and become un-jumbled. after that, they are poured into a gel, which is in a container that can send an electrical current through the gel.
once all the proteins are sorted into their specific compartments in the gel, we then turn on the electricity, and the lighter proteins travel down the gel through the current. after about an hour, the protein has shifted all the way to the bottom, and at this point, my time is up, and I must go once again.