Harvard Case Study The Four Western Blots

A single cell cannot grow larger and larger indefinitely because on a cellular level and metabolic level, a cell requires essential provisions, cell-to-cell communication, and transport of molecules/nutrients. The outside of a cell grows slower than the inside of a cell. If a single cell were to continuously grow the outside layer of the cell would not be able to keep up. The larger a cell is, the more difficult it is to transport nutrients and oxygen from outside of the cell into the inside of the cell. Consequently, the large cell would have more trouble transporting water, nutrients, and oxygen across the cell membrane and through the plasma membrane. In reality, the Blob would have problems maintaining sufficient transport and would suffer from malnutrition. The size of a cell determines the amount of nutrients, water, and oxygen needed, therefore, the volume of a cell must be just right to sustain life and function. More demand would be placed on DNA for indefinitely growing cells because more protein production would be necessary for cellular function. Furthermore, more transcribed DNA to mRNA would lead to the RER working overtime to synthesize additional proteins. The ER would have to process a surplus of proteins being …show more content…
Overall, there would be four Western blots completed. There would be two experimental Western blots completed: blot one would contain the ER fraction and blot two would contain the transmembrane fraction. Both blot one and two would be exposed to primary and secondary antibodies (one primary Ab would be specific for MH1 and one primary Ab would be specific for MH2). There would be two control Western blots completed: blot three would contain the ER fraction and blot four would contain the transmembrane fraction. Both blot three and four would not be exposed to primary or secondary antibodies (blocks would be used to supplement the