What is immunoprecipitation?

Immunoprecipitation (IP) is a technique used to isolate and concentrate a specific protein or a group of proteins from a complex mixture, such as a cell lysate. It involves using an antibody that specifically binds to the target protein. The antibody-protein complex is then captured using a solid support, such as beads, and the unbound molecules are washed away. Finally, the target protein is eluted from the solid support and can be analyzed using various techniques, such as Western blotting or mass spectrometry. IP is commonly used to study protein-protein interactions, protein modifications, and protein expression levels.