How do I use the Info Panel to store information about a DNA, RNA or protein sequence?
Open a sequence file, and show the Info Panel if it is not already visible.
Add Information About the Sequence Source
The following description is for DNA sequence files, but the procedure is similar for an RNA or protein sequence file.
- Set the type to "Natural DNA" or "Synthetic DNA". If a synthetic DNA sequence has been confirmed experimentally, you can click the associated check box, and a check mark will appear next to the sequence length indicator.
- To specify the laboratory host organism for a synthetic DNA sequence, choose from the options in the menu, or enter your own laboratory host information.
- To specify the transformation strain for a synthetic circular DNA sequence, use the menu.
- To specify the methylation of a synthetic DNA sequence, click the Change button.
For natural DNA sequences, specify the source organism using the dropdown menu, or type the organism name.
If desired, the GenBank Sequence class for a natural DNA sequence can also be specified. If you are unsure of the sequence class, then use "UNA – unannotated".
Add a Description, Comments and other Information
- Enter text if desired in the Description field. If appropriate, use the text formatting tools and use the text insertion tools to add special characters or hyperlinks.
- If the sequence is from an external database and you know the accession number, enter it in the field provided.
- If you use internal code numbers for your sequences, then enter a code number.
- Enter the name of the sequence author, or choose from the preset list.
- Enter text if desired in the Comments field. If appropriate, use the text formatting tools and use the text insertion tools to add special characters or hyperlinks.
- Click the blue "References" link to add references. See Add Reference Information to a Sequence for more details.
- Click the blue "Embedded Files" text to embed external documents in a SnapGene sequence file. See Embed Files in a Sequence File for more details.
Preserve Description Panel Information in an Exported File
Data added to the Description Panel is used to populate data fields for an exported GenBank file.