Revision as of 15:40, 9 July 2008

Guide to Registry Documentation

This guide explains how to read and interpret the information available that documents a part in the Registry.

Overview

Each part* in the Registry has two components: (a) physical DNA carried by a plasmid vector stored at -80 degrees Celsius, and (b) documentation on the parts.igem.org server. For some parts, only documentation is available. To use such a part you must either synthesize the DNA or reconstruct the part from the documented design information.

In what follows, each item used to document parts will be defined and its use(s) explained. The items are presented in the order that they appear on the pages corresponding to the part.

Part Main Page

Part Number

This is a "unique identifier" (as that term is used in computer science). It labels the part and all information connected with it. Example: BBa_J45004. This part encodes an enzyme used to construct a pleasant (!) odor-generating system in E. coli. The prefix BBa denotes a BioBrick part from the alpha release of BioBrick* standard biological parts and the J designates the part category. For details see: Part Names. The numbers indicate the specific part.

Part Icon

The Registry uses a set of icons to represent parts and standardize the schematic diagrams used to describe devices and systems. Example: represents a protein-coding sequence. The icon set remains incomplete and under development. Check with Part Names to find currently used icons.

Status Box

At the upper right-hand corner of the Main Page you will see a green box with two lines. The upper line indicates whether or not DNA corresponding to that part is available from the Registry, and the lower line reports the current experience with the part as reported on the Experience Page.

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• all terms marked with an asterisk are defined in the [Registry Glossary].