Creating a Construct

Open GeneDesigner.
- Double clicking on the program icon will create a new project, containing a single (empty) new construct.
- Double clicking on an existing project will open that project.

The Project Window

The Construct Editor is divided into two sections:
- On the left, elements are displayed in the Navigation Pane in a hierarchical tree.
- On the right, elements are displayed in the Workspace Pane in a linear arrangement.

Select “add a new construct” from the “Add” button on the bottom left corner of the Construct Editor. You will be prompted to choose
- a construct name
- whether your construct is circular or linear
- a codon table
- add notes, if any

New sequence elements can be added to a construct by dragging an element out of the New Elements Tab in the Library Explorer and into the desired position within the construct.
- When dragging in a new DNA element you will be prompted to type / paste a name and DNA sequence for the new element.
- When dragging in a new amino acid (AA) element you will be prompted to type / paste a name and amino acid sequence for the new element.
- When dragging in a new open reading frame (ORF) element you will be prompted to type / paste a name and DNA sequence for the new element. You will also be prompted to select a reading frame and the DNA sequence will be automatically translated.
New sequence elements can also be added to a construct using the “Add” button at the bottom of the Construct Editor. Elements will be created within the “Elements Not in a Construct” section of the Navigation Pane, and may then be dragged into the desired position within the construct.

Sequence elements can be added to a construct from the Library Explorer by dragging existing elements out of the Design Toolbox and into the desired position within the construct.
- Dragging a folder from the Design Toolbox will add all of the elements within that folder as a group within the construct.

Dragging a fasta file from elsewhere on your computer into the desired position within the construct.
- If the fasta file contains more than one sequence, the sequences will be added as a Group
Dragging a genebank file from elsewhere on your computer into the desired position within the construct.
- If the genbank file contains more than one sequence, the sequences will be added as a Group
Sequence elements can be dragged into either the Navigation Pane or the Workspace Pane.

A construct or sequence element can be saved for use in other projects by dragging its icon from the Navigation Pane to the Library Explorer.
- A construct or sequence element can be added to an existing folder in the Design Toolbox or Vectors window.
- A new folder may be created in the Design Toolbox or Vectors window by selecting the green “Add” button at the bottom of the Library Explorer
A construct or sequence element that has been saved into the Library Explorer will be available for use in any new construct.