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Author: Chris

  • How to automatically annotate bare sequences

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    Chris
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    If you have an unannotated vector or other sequence that you’ve been sent from a sequencing lab, downloaded from a web page or been sent by a colleague, it can be very tedious to manually create all the features that you believe are present on the sequence – assuming you even know what is supposed…

  • How to display translations in the sequence editor

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    Chris
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    For those of you who like to type in DNA sequences, or do manual editing to the sequences, it’s really useful to be able to see the translations above or below the sequence residues in the Editor tab of the single sequence window. If you are a long term user, you’ll be familiar with the…

  • Subscribe to Weekly Tips

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    Chris
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    MacVector is designed to be easy to use. Nonetheless there’s a lot of tools and it’s a flaw in most of us that we only stick to doing, what we already how to do. In our busy lives finding time for learning how to do something more efficiently never climbs that growing todo list too…

  • Use the [option] key to paste, or ligate, in the opposite orientation

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    Chris
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    The most simple way of generating new constructs in MacVector using restriction enzyme sites is to: [shift]-select two sites in the Map tab of a source molecule. Switch to the Map tab of a target vector. Select the corresponding site(s) there. Simply choose Edit | Paste to insert the copied fragment into the target molecule.…

  • Troubleshooting problems with MacVector

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    Chris
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    MacVector generally just works. However, it’s a very rare piece of software that does not have occasional technical faults. Every now and again we do get reports to MacVector Support about such technical issues. Whenever we come across such issues we document them and also try to fix it so they never happen again in…

  • View sequences at the residue level in the Map tab

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    Chris
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    Many MacVector users do not realize that you can view sequences at the residue level in the Map tab as well as the Editor tab. This has the advantage that you can see restriction enzyme cut sites (including staggered sticky ends) along with the graphical display of features aligned to the residues. You can even…

  • Use Analyze -> Align To Reference to align ABI trace files

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    Chris
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    One of the most common tasks in any molecular biology lab is the need to re-sequence a piece of DNA. Perhaps it is a cloned PCR fragment where you want to confirm the sequence, perhaps you are sequencing across a cloning junction, or maybe screening clones for a successful mutagenesis experiment. Many users immediately think…

  • How to make feature arrows point in the other direction

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    Chris
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    We’ve had quite a few users calling up recently to ask how to get the arrows representing a feature in the Map view to point “the other way”. The arrows in the Map view are always shown pointing in the 5′ to 3′ direction relative to the feature, i.e. left to right for a feature…

  • How to change the circular origin of a sequence

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    Chris
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    While most MacVector analysis algorithms can handle circular sequences, its sometimes useful to be able to set the “12 o’clock” point to a different location on the circle. This is easy to do with recent MacVector releases. If you are using MacVector 13.5, then all you have to do is position the flashing caret between…

  • Test PCR Primer Pairs using the Primer Design (Primer3) Interface

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    Chris
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    Over the past few releases of MacVector, we have been adding a lot of functionality to the Quicktest Primer and Primer Design/Test Pairs interfaces and slowly removing the old outdated primer design functions. The general strategy is that anything you need to do with a single primer, you can accomplish using the Quicktest Primer interface.…