Part Library

Access curated genetic parts from public collections and your workspace.

Public Repositories

Kernel provides access to several public repositories:

Asimov Public

A curated repository of genetic parts maintained by Asimov, including:

• Promoters for various expression systems

• Common coding sequences (reporters, selection markers)

• Terminators and regulatory elements

• Optimized sequences for mammalian expression

To access:

1. Go to Repos in the sidebar

2. Click Public repositories

3. Select Asimov Public

Addgene

A public repository of plasmid sequences from Addgene:

• Thousands of deposited plasmids

• Full sequence and annotation data

• Links to original publications

UniProt Swiss-Prot

A public repository of protein sequences from UniProt:

• Curated protein information

• Functional annotations

• Cross-references to literature

Finding Parts

Part Match

When editing a construct, Part match suggests existing parts that match regions of your sequence:

1. Click Part match in the right sidebar

2. Kernel analyzes your construct's sequence

3. Matching parts from your accessible repositories appear as suggestions

4. Click a suggestion to annotate that region as a part

Global Search

Search across all accessible parts:

1. Press Cmd/Ctrl + K to open search

2. Type your query

3. Filter results to show only Parts

4. Click to open or add to a construct

Browse by Repository

1. Go to Repos > All parts

2. Filter by repository, type, or creator

3. Sort by name, date modified, or other columns

Using Public Parts

Copy to Your Repository

To customize a public part:

1. Find the part in a public collection

2. Right-click and select Copy

3. Choose your destination repository

4. The copied part is now yours to edit

Reference Directly

You can use public parts directly in constructs without copying:

1. Drag the part from Part match into your construct

2. The construct references the public part

3. Updates to the public part reflect in your construct

Sharing Your Parts

Share Within Workspace

Parts in workspace repositories are automatically accessible to workspace members based on repository permissions.

Share Across Workspaces

1. Open the repository containing the part

2. Click Share

3. Add the target workspace or user

4. Set permission level (Viewer, Editor, Admin)

Part Collections

Organize parts into collections for easy access:

Create a Parts Repository

1. Click New > Repository

2. Name it (e.g., "Team Parts Library")

3. Add a description

4. Move or copy commonly used parts here

Folder Organization

Within a parts repository:

• Promoters/ — All promoter parts

• CDSs/ — Coding sequences

• Terminators/ — Terminator elements

• By Project/ — Project-specific parts

Best Practices

Curating Your Library

• Verify sequences before adding to shared libraries

• Include complete metadata (source, organism, function)

• Use consistent naming conventions

• Document modifications from original sources

Version Control

• Keep original versions of public parts

• Create copies before making modifications

• Note changes in the description field

Next Steps

• What is a Part? — Understanding part types

• Creating Parts — Add your own parts

• Creating Constructs — Use parts in designs