Home Failure Case Library Incorrect Antibody Selection
Western Blot (Sigma Protocol) severe

Incorrect Antibody Selection

Symptom
No signal or unexpected banding pattern despite proper protocol execution
Common Causes
  1. 1 Primary antibody not validated for western blotting application
  2. 2 Primary antibody cannot react with protein from the species being studied
  3. 3 Secondary antibody cannot bind to primary antibody from its species
Solutions
  1. 1 Verify antibody is validated for immunoblotting in product literature
  2. 2 Check antibody species reactivity matches your sample species
  3. 3 Test secondary antibody by spotting primary antibody on membrane and probing with secondary alone
  4. 4 Ensure secondary antibody is raised against the species of primary antibody
Related Video (2)
Cell Signaling Technology ★ 85
Western Blot Troubleshooting Guide
"Directly addresses troubleshooting incorrect antibody selection and banding issues for Western blot."
Bilibili (China-Accessible Mirrors) ★ 70
Western Blot Protocol Beginner Tutorial with Operations
"Covers complete protocol steps including antibody incubation, helping users see correct validation steps."
Source: sigmaaldrich.com ↗
← Back to all cases