Frequently asked questions
How long will my order take?
Please discuss your timeline of order processing with the Lab Coordinator for the most accurate estimated completion date.
When am I billed for services?
The DNA Sequencing Facility sends invoices once a month for the previous month’s sequencing. If your institution requires a purchase order number (or some other identifying number on the invoice), please be sure to include that on your completed order form.
How can I view my processed sequences?
Sequences are delivered as industry-standard text files and data files. There are several software packages available for viewing sequences; here are just a few:
Shows razor-sharp traces, auto-translates sequences, reads the most common sequence file formats, and displays sequence quality data. (Mac)
Biological sequence alignment editor (Windows)
View ABI-formatted automated sequencing files (Windows)
Geospiza’s FinchTV is a popular way to view DNA sequence traces (Linux, Mac OSX, Windows, and Solaris)
Applied Biosystems offers a range of free tools to facilitate your experimental design, data analysis, and data management. Click here for a list of these tools.
What resources are available for searching sequence?
There are a wide variety of sequencing databases available and many ways to search within and across sequencing databases. Here are a few resources we find useful:
The NIH genetic sequence database.
An integrated search and retrieval system that takes information from all of the databases at NCBI.
A set of similarity search programs designed to explore all of the available sequence databases regardless of whether the query is protein or DNA.