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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 17: Posters - Coupled Problems in Biological Systems: Model Identification, Analysis and Predictions

BP 17.2: Poster

Montag, 7. März 2016, 17:30–19:30, Poster C

Normalization of Western blot data affects the statistics of estimators — Caterina Thomaseth and •Nicole Radde — Institute for Systems Theory and Automatic Control, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany

Western blotting is a technique for the quantification of proteins, which has made a transition from a purely qualitative to a semi-quantitative method in the last decade. Western blot data are nowadays also frequently used to enrich parameter estimation for models of intracellular processes. This task, however, poses several challenges.

In this work we elaborate on the normalization of data from Western blot experiments and its impact on parameter estimation. Preprocessing of Western blot data includes a two step normalization procedure, in which the raw signals are normalized to a loading control and to a reference condition. If the signals themselves are normally distributed, the normalized data are described by ratios of normal distributions, which have some peculiarities that can complicate further analysis. We recapitulate some properties of these ratio distributions and conditions for various approximations that facilitate further analysis. We illustrate results on a case study in which Western blot data are used to infer the fold change in a knockdown experiment.