Viewing and Accessing Sequencing Results

Viewing Sequencing Results:
PCs:
There are two software options in order to view your chromatographs. The first is BioEdit: download and install this free BioEdit software, then go to “file” ? “open” and then choose under the “files of type” option: “ABI files”. Go to the folder with your sequencing results and open the file of interest from within BioEdit. Using this software it is possible to stretch or compress the width of the peaks as well as the height of the signal. Or copy it into software such as Microsoft Powerpoint or Word.

The second available software program which we use is the Sequence Scanner Software v1.0 from Applied Biosystems. This software is also freeware and can be downloaded from the Applied Biosystems website.

Macintosh:
Mac users can open the .ab1 DNA sequencing data files with the MacVector software available through Brown’s download page. The most versatile software is the most recent update version MacVector 7.2.3. In this version, when you open the data file there’s a pull-down menu on the lower right corner of the screen that lets you format the number of rows of data per page to make a compact print-out.

Accessing Sequencing Results on the Watson Server:
On-Campus Users:
To access your Watson server files: In your browser’s address field, enter watson.ad.brown.edu/chromatographs. When the login box appears, enter “ad\” followed by your Brown username (e.g. if your username is jcarber, enter “ad\jcarber”), then enter your regular password. You should be able to see everyone else’s folders, but you will only be able to access your own.

Off-Campus Users:
The WebVPN service is now available, it will no longer be necessary for researchers at the hospitals to install the Brown VPN software on their desktops in order to access their chromatographs. Instead, they can simply go to http://webvpn.brown.edu, log in with their Brown username and password, and then type Watson’s address (watson.ad.brown.edu/chromatographs/username) into the “Web Applications” field on the VPN page. (See for an illustration.)