Manage Genetic Sequences

The Genetics workspace imports, views, annotates, and analyzes DNA, RNA, and protein sequences. Whether you're planning a cloning experiment, comparing constructs, or cataloging a sequence library, Genetics gives you the molecular-biology tools to work with the data directly.

Importing Sequences

Supported Formats

• FASTA for simple sequence data (nucleotide or protein)
• GenBank for annotated sequences with features, references, and metadata

How to Import

1. Click New Sequence or Import on the workspace landing page
2. Pick your file or paste sequence text into the dialog box
3. Conspecta auto-detects the sequence type (DNA, RNA, or protein)
4. GenBank annotations are imported automatically

Sequence Viewer

Each sequence opens in a viewer that shows:

• A linear view with position numbering you can scroll through
• An annotation track with color-coded features above the sequence
• A minimap for fast navigation in long sequences
• Click-and-drag selection for highlighting regions

Annotations

Add, edit, and view feature annotations on any sequence. Annotations imported from GenBank carry over with their feature types, colors, and qualifiers. New annotations can be drawn directly on the viewer.

Analysis Tools

Open the sidebar to find the analysis tools:

General

• Multiple alignment for comparing sequences
• Dot plot for visual pairwise comparison
• Sequence logo for conservation analysis across a set
• Phylogenetic tree for evolutionary relationships
• Export figure to save a publication-quality viewer image

DNA and RNA

• Translate frames to render the six reading frames
• RNA structure predictions
• Restriction digest simulation, with downstream ligation for assembly planning

Protein

• Hydropathy plot
• Protein properties (length, MW, pI, extinction coefficient)
• Secondary structure prediction

Cloning and Assembly

• Construct assembly for designing multi-fragment assemblies
• Part library for managing reusable fragments
• Contig assembly for stitching reads or fragments together
• Register item to capture an assembly as a new sequence with full lineage

Sample Linking

• Lineage tree to visualize the relationships between sequences and the samples they came from

Visualization

• Linear map for a feature map along a linear sequence
• Circular map for a plasmid-style view, when the sequence is circular
• Export figure saves either map at publication scale

Organization

Grid and Table Views

Browse the library in Grid view (cards with sequence type, length, and annotation count) or switch to Table for metadata-heavy browsing.

Sharing

Each sequence has a sharing toggle that controls visibility to your project members.

Next Steps

• Write notes to embed sequences in your notebook
• Track your samples to link sequences back to the samples they came from
• Share and export to export sequences and maps for collaborators