title: Protein screening using cold microwave technology.
abstract: Protein detection is a common yet time-intensive task in many laboratories. Here we report a protocol that makes use of cold microwave technology to reduce the total processing time to less than 1 h with dot and Western blot applications while yielding lower background noise at similar signal strength when compared with conventional protocols. With dot blots, the time savings was accompanied by a decrease in reagent use. With Western blots, the visibility of prestained markers was maintained, in stark contrast to conventional procedures. Experiments kept at a constant temperature of 21 degrees C support the existence of a microwave radiation effect, whereas an additional thermal effect is noted when the temperature is increased to 37 degrees C from ambient. Microwave-assisted dot blotting is suggested as an effective way of facilitating large-scale screening of expressed proteins.
authors.affiliation: Microscopy and Imaging Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
authors.forename: Aaron G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Carol B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ann Ellis
authors.forename: Stanislav
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vitha
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Holzenburg
mesh_terms: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003080:Cold Temperature; D008872:Microwaves; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C523306:FtsZ1 protein, Arabidopsis; D011506:Proteins