Skills › Research & Science › Bioinformatics & life science
gget
Fast CLI/Python queries to 20+ bioinformatics databases. Use for quick lookups: gene info, BLAST searches, AlphaFold structures, enrichment analysis. Best for interactive exploration, simple queries. For batch processing or advanced BLAST use biopython; for multi-database Python workflows use bioservices.
Tools: gget,–upgrade,openmm,pandas
The full skill
—
name: gget
description: "Fast CLI/Python queries to 20+ bioinformatics databases. Use for quick lookups: gene info, BLAST searches, AlphaFold structures, enrichment analysis. Best for interactive exploration, simple queries. For batch processing or advanced BLAST use biopython; for multi-database Python workflows use bioservices."
license: BSD-2-Clause license
metadata:
skill-author: K-Dense Inc.
—
# gget
## Overview
gget is a command-line bioinformatics tool and Python package providing unified access to 20+ genomic databases and analysis methods. Query gene information, sequence analysis, protein structures, expression data, and disease associations through a consistent interface. All gget modules work both as command-line tools and as Python functions.
**Important**: The databases queried by gget are continuously updated, which sometimes changes their structure. gget modules are tested automatically on a biweekly basis and updated to match new database structures when necessary.
## Installation
Install gget in a clean virtual environment to avoid conflicts:
“`bash
# Using uv (recommended)
uv uv pip install gget
# Or using pip
uv pip install –upgrade gget
# In Python/Jupyter
import gget
“`
## Quick Start
Basic usage pattern for all modules:
“`bash
# Command-line
gget <module> [arguments] [options]
# Python
gget.module(arguments, options)
“`
Most modules return:
– **Command-line**: JSON (default) or CSV with `-csv` flag
– **Python**: DataFrame or dictionary
Common flags across modules:
– `-o/–out`: Save results to file
– `-q/–quiet`: Suppress progress information
– `-csv`: Return CSV format (command-line only)
## Module Categories
### 1. Reference & Gene Information
#### gget ref – Reference Genome Downloads
Retrieve download links and metadata for Ensembl reference genomes.
**Parameters**:
– `species`: Genus_species format (e.g., 'homo_sapiens', 'mus_musculus'). Shortcuts: 'human', 'mouse'
– `-w/–which`: Specify return types (gtf, cdna, dna, cds, cdrna, pep). Default: all
– `-r/–release`: Ensembl release number (default: latest)
– `-l/–list_species`: List available vertebrate species
– `-liv/–list_iv_species`: List available invertebrate species
– `-ftp`: Return only FTP links
– `-d/–download`: Download files (requires curl)
**Examples**:
“`bash
# List available species
gget ref –list_species
# Get all reference files for human
gget ref homo_sapiens
# Download only GTF annotation for mouse
gget ref -w gtf -d mouse
“`
“`python
# Python
gget.ref("homo_sapiens")
gget.ref("mus_musculus", which="gtf", download=True)
“`
#### gget search – Gene Search
Locate genes by name or description across species.
**Parameters**:
– `searchwords`: One or more search terms (case-insensitive)
– `-s/–species`: Target species (e.g., 'homo_sapiens', 'mouse')
– `-r/–release`: Ensembl release number
– `-t/–id_type`: Return 'gene' (default) or 'transcript'
– `-ao/–andor`: 'or' (default) finds ANY searchword; 'and' requires ALL
– `-l/–limit`: Maximum results to return
**Returns**: ensembl_id, gene_name, ensembl_description, ext_ref_description, biotype, URL
**Examples**:
“`bash
# Search for GABA-related genes in human
gget search -s human gaba gamma-aminobutyric
# Find specific gene, require all terms
gget search -s mouse -ao and pax7 transcription
“`
“`python
# Python
gget.search(["gaba", "gamma-aminobutyric"], species="homo_sapiens")
“`
#### gget info – Gene/Transcript Information
Retrieve comprehensive gene and transcript metadata from Ensembl, UniProt, and NCBI.
**Parameters**:
– `ens_ids`: One or more Ensembl IDs (also supports WormBase, Flybase IDs). Limit: ~1000 IDs
– `-n/–ncbi`: Disable NCBI data retrieval
– `-u/–uniprot`: Disable UniProt data retrieval
– `-pdb`: Include PDB identifiers (increases runtime)
**Returns**: UniProt ID, NCBI gene ID, primary gene name, synonyms, protein names, descriptions, biotype, canonical transcript
**Examples**:
“`bash
# Get info for multiple genes
gget info ENSG00000034713 ENSG00000104853 ENSG00000170296
# Include PDB IDs
gget info ENSG00000034713 -pdb
“`
“`python
# Python
gget.info(["ENSG00000034713", "ENSG00000104853"], pdb=True)
“`
#### gget seq – Sequence Retrieval
Fetch nucleotide or amino acid sequences for genes and transcripts.
**Parameters**:
– `ens_ids`: One or more Ensembl identifiers
– `-t/–translate`: Fetch amino acid sequences instead of nucleotide
– `-iso/–isoforms`: Return all transcript variants (gene IDs only)
**Returns**: FASTA format sequences
**Examples**:
“`bash
# Get nucleotide sequences
gget seq ENSG00000034713 ENSG00000104853
# Get all protein isoforms
gget seq -t -iso ENSG00000034713
“`
“`python
# Python
gget.seq(["ENSG00000034713"], translate=True, isoforms=True)
“`
### 2. Sequence Analysis & Alignment
#### gget blast – BLAST Searches
BLAST nucleotide or amino acid sequences against standard databases.
**Parameters**:
– `sequence`: Sequence string or path to FASTA/.txt file
– `-p/–program`: blastn, blastp, blastx, tblastn, tblastx (auto-detected)
– `-db/–database`:
– Nucleotide: nt, refseq_rna, pdbnt
– Protein: nr, swissprot, pdbaa, refseq_protein
– `-l/–limit`: Max hits (default: 50)
– `-e/–expect`: E-value cutoff (default: 10.0)
– `-lcf/–low_comp_filt`: Enable low complexity filtering
– `-mbo/–megablast_off`: Disable MegaBLAST (blastn only)
**Examples**:
“`bash
# BLAST protein sequence
gget blast MKWMFKEDHSLEHRCVESAKIRAKYPDRVPVIVEKVSGSQIVDIDKRKYLVPSDITVAQFMWIIRKRIQLPSEKAIFLFVDKTVPQSR
# BLAST from file with specific database
gget blast sequence.fasta -db swissprot -l 10
“`
“`python
# Python
gget.blast("MKWMFK…", database="swissprot", limit=10)
“`
#### gget blat – BLAT Searches
Locate genomic positions of sequences using UCSC BLAT.
**Parameters**:
– `sequence`: Sequence string or path to FASTA/.txt file
– `-st/–seqtype`: 'DNA', 'protein', 'translated%20RNA', 'translated%20DNA' (auto-detected)
– `-a/–assembly`: Target assembly (default: 'human'/hg38; options: 'mouse'/mm39, 'zebrafinch'/taeGut2, etc.)
**Returns**: genome, query size, alignment positions, matches, mismatches, alignment percentage
**Examples**:
“`bash
# Find genomic location in human
gget blat ATCGATCGATCGATCG
# Search in different assembly
gget blat -a mm39 ATCGATCGATCGATCG
“`
“`python
# Python
gget.blat("ATCGATCGATCGATCG", assembly="mouse")
“`
#### gget muscle – Multiple Sequence Alignment
Align multiple nucleotide or amino acid sequences using Muscle5.
**Parameters**:
– `fasta`: Sequences or path to FASTA/.txt file
– `-s5/–super5`: Use Super5 algorithm for faster processing (large datasets)
**Returns**: Aligned sequences in ClustalW format or aligned FASTA (.afa)
**Examples**:
“`bash
# Align sequences from file
gget muscle sequences.fasta -o aligned.afa
# Use Super5 for large dataset
gget muscle large_dataset.fasta -s5
“`
“`python
# Python
gget.muscle("sequences.fasta", save=True)
“`
#### gget diamond – Local Sequence Alignment
Perform fast local protein or translated DNA alignment using DIAMOND.
**Parameters**:
– Query: Sequences (string/list) or FASTA file path
– `–reference`: Reference sequences (string/list) or FASTA file path (required)
– `–sensitivity`: fast, mid-sensitive, sensitive, more-sensitive, very-sensitive (default), ultra-sensitive
– `–threads`: CPU threads (default: 1)
– `–diamond_db`: Save database for reuse
– `–translated`: Enable nucleotide-to-amino acid alignment
**Returns**: Identity percentage, sequence lengths, match positions, gap openings, E-values, bit scores
**Examples**:
“`bash
# Align against reference
gget diamond GGETISAWESQME -ref reference.fasta –threads 4
# Save database for reuse
gget diamond query.fasta -ref ref.fasta –diamond_db my_db.dmnd
“`
“`python
# Python
gget.diamond("GGETISAWESQME", reference="reference.fasta", threads=4)
“`
### 3. Structural & Protein Analysis
#### gget pdb – Protein Structures
Query RCSB Protein Data Bank for structure and metadata.
**Parameters**:
– `pdb_id`: PDB identifier (e.g., '7S7U')
– `-r/–resource`: Data type (pdb, entry, pubmed, assembly, entity types)
– `-i/–identifier`: Assembly, entity, or chain ID
**Returns**: PDB format (structures) or JSON (metadata)
**Examples**:
“`bash
# Download PDB structure
gget pdb 7S7U -o 7S7U.pdb
# Get metadata
gget pdb 7S7U -r entry
“`
“`python
# Python
gget.pdb("7S7U", save=True)
“`
#### gget alphafold – Protein Structure Prediction
Predict 3D protein structures using simplified AlphaFold2.
**Setup Required**:
“`bash
# Install OpenMM first
uv pip install openmm
# Then setup AlphaFold
gget setup alphafold
“`
**Parameters**:
– `sequence`: Amino acid sequence (string), multiple sequences (list), or FASTA file. Multiple sequences trigger multimer modeling
– `-mr/–multimer_recycles`: Recycling iterations (default: 3; recommend 20 for accuracy)
– `-mfm/–multimer_for_monomer`: Apply multimer model to single proteins
– `-r/–relax`: AMBER relaxation for top-ranked model
– `plot`: Python-only; generate interactive 3D visualization (default: True)
– `show_sidechains`: Python-only; include side chains (default: True)
**Returns**: PDB structure file, JSON alignment error data, optional 3D visualization
**Examples**:
“`bash
# Predict single protein structure
gget alphafold MKWMFKEDHSLEHRCVESAKIRAKYPDRVPVIVEKVSGSQIVDIDKRKYLVPSDITVAQFMWIIRKRIQLPSEKAIFLFVDKTVPQSR
# Predict multimer with higher accuracy
gget alphafold sequence1.fasta -mr 20 -r
“`
“`python
# Python with visualization
gget.alphafold("MKWMFK…", plot=True, show_sidechains=True)
# Multimer prediction
gget.alphafold(["sequence1", "sequence2"], multimer_recycles=20)
“`
#### gget elm – Eukaryotic Linear Motifs
Predict Eukaryotic Linear Motifs in protein sequences.
**Setup Required**:
“`bash
gget setup elm
“`
**Parameters**:
– `sequence`: Amino acid sequence or UniProt Acc
– `-u/–uniprot`: Indicates sequence is UniProt Acc
– `-e/–expand`: Include protein names, organisms, references
– `-s/–sensitivity`: DIAMOND alignment sensitivity (default: "very-sensitive")
– `-t/–threads`: Number of threads (default: 1)
**Returns**: Two outputs:
1. **ortholog_df**: Linear motifs from orthologous proteins
2. **regex_df**: Motifs directly matched in input sequence
**Examples**:
“`bash
# Predict motifs from sequence
gget elm LIAQSIGQASFV -o results
# Use UniProt accession with expanded info
gget elm –uniprot Q02410 -e
“`
“`python
# Python
ortholog_df, regex_df = gget.elm("LIAQSIGQASFV")
“`
### 4. Expression & Disease Data
#### gget archs4 – Gene Correlation & Tissue Expression
Query ARCHS4 database for correlated genes or tissue expression data.
**Parameters**:
– `gene`: Gene symbol or Ensembl ID (with `–ensembl` flag)
– `-w/–which`: 'correlation' (default, returns 100 most correlated genes) or 'tissue' (expression atlas)
– `-s/–species`: 'human' (default) or 'mouse' (tissue data only)
– `-e/–ensembl`: Input is Ensembl ID
**Returns**:
– **Correlation mode**: Gene symbols, Pearson correlation coefficients
– **Tissue mode**: Tissue identifiers, min/Q1/median/Q3/max expression values
**Examples**:
“`bash
# Get correlated genes
gget archs4 ACE2
# Get tissue expression
gget archs4 -w tissue ACE2
“`
“`python
# Python
gget.archs4("ACE2", which="tissue")
“`
#### gget cellxgene – Single-Cell RNA-seq Data
Query CZ CELLxGENE Discover Census for single-cell data.
**Setup Required**:
“`bash
gget setup cellxgene
“`
**Parameters**:
– `–gene` (-g): Gene names or Ensembl IDs (case-sensitive! 'PAX7' for human, 'Pax7' for mouse)
– `–tissue`: Tissue type(s)
– `–cell_type`: Specific cell type(s)
– `–species` (-s): 'homo_sapiens' (default) or 'mus_musculus'
– `–census_version` (-cv): Version ("stable", "latest", or dated)
– `–ensembl` (-e): Use Ensembl IDs
– `–meta_only` (-mo): Return metadata only
– Additional filters: disease, development_stage, sex, assay, dataset_id, donor_id, ethnicity, suspension_type
**Returns**: AnnData object with count matrices and metadata (or metadata-only dataframes)
**Examples**:
“`bash
# Get single-cell data for specific genes and cell types
gget cellxgene –gene ACE2 ABCA1 –tissue lung –cell_type "mucus secreting cell" -o lung_data.h5ad
# Metadata only
gget cellxgene –gene PAX7 –tissue muscle –meta_only -o metadata.csv
“`
“`python
# Python
adata = gget.cellxgene(gene=["ACE2", "ABCA1"], tissue="lung", cell_type="mucus secreting cell")
“`
#### gget enrichr – Enrichment Analysis
Perform ontology enrichment analysis on gene lists using Enrichr.
**Parameters**:
– `genes`: Gene symbols or Ensembl IDs
– `-db/–database`: Reference database (supports shortcuts: 'pathway', 'transcription', 'ontology', 'diseases_drugs', 'celltypes')
– `-s/–species`: human (default), mouse, fly, yeast, worm, fish
– `-bkg_l/–background_list`: Background genes for comparison
– `-ko/–kegg_out`: Save KEGG pathway images with highlighted genes
– `plot`: Python-only; generate graphical results
**Database Shortcuts**:
– 'pathway' → KEGG_2021_Human
– 'transcription' → ChEA_2016
– 'ontology' → GO_Biological_Process_2021
– 'diseases_drugs' → GWAS_Catalog_2019
– 'celltypes' → PanglaoDB_Augmented_2021
**Examples**:
“`bash
# Enrichment analysis for ontology
gget enrichr -db ontology ACE2 AGT AGTR1
# Save KEGG pathways
gget enrichr -db pathway ACE2 AGT AGTR1 -ko ./kegg_images/
“`
“`python
# Python with plot
gget.enrichr(["ACE2", "AGT", "AGTR1"], database="ontology", plot=True)
“`
#### gget bgee – Orthology & Expression
Retrieve orthology and gene expression data from Bgee database.
**Parameters**:
– `ens_id`: Ensembl gene ID or NCBI gene ID (for non-Ensembl species). Multiple IDs supported when `type=expression`
– `-t/–type`: 'orthologs' (default) or 'expression'
**Returns**:
– **Orthologs mode**: Matching genes across species with IDs, names, taxonomic info
– **Expression mode**: Anatomical entities, confidence scores, expression status
**Examples**:
“`bash
# Get orthologs
gget bgee ENSG00000169194
# Get expression data
gget bgee ENSG00000169194 -t expression
# Multiple genes
gget bgee ENSBTAG00000047356 ENSBTAG00000018317 -t expression
“`
“`python
# Python
gget.bgee("ENSG00000169194", type="orthologs")
“`
#### gget opentargets – Disease & Drug Associations
Retrieve disease and drug associations from OpenTargets.
**Parameters**:
– Ensembl gene ID (required)
– `-r/–resource`: diseases (default), drugs, tractability, pharmacogenetics, expression, depmap, interactions
– `-l/–limit`: Cap results count
– Filter arguments (vary by resource):
– drugs: `–filter_disease`
– pharmacogenetics: `–filter_drug`
– expression/depmap: `–filter_tissue`, `–filter_anat_sys`, `–filter_organ`
– interactions: `–filter_protein_a`, `–filter_protein_b`, `–filter_gene_b`
**Examples**:
“`bash
# Get associated diseases
gget opentargets ENSG00000169194 -r diseases -l 5
# Get associated drugs
gget opentargets ENSG00000169194 -r drugs -l 10
# Get tissue expression
gget opentargets ENSG00000169194 -r expression –filter_tissue brain
“`
“`python
# Python
gget.opentargets("ENSG00000169194", resource="diseases", limit=5)
“`
#### gget cbio – cBioPortal Cancer Genomics
Plot cancer genomics heatmaps using cBioPortal data.
**Two subcommands**:
**search** – Find study IDs:
“`bash
gget cbio search breast lung
“`
**plot** – Generate heatmaps:
**Parameters**:
– `-s/–study_ids`: Space-separated cBioPortal study IDs (required)
– `-g/–genes`: Space-separated gene names or Ensembl IDs (required)
– `-st/–stratification`: Column to organize data (tissue, cancer_type, cancer_type_detailed, study_id, sample)
– `-vt/–variation_type`: Data type (mutation_occurrences, cna_nonbinary, sv_occurrences, cna_occurrences, Consequence)
– `-f/–filter`: Filter by column value (e.g., 'study_id:msk_impact_2017')
– `-dd/–data_dir`: Cache directory (default: ./gget_cbio_cache)
– `-fd/–figure_dir`: Output directory (default: ./gget_cbio_figures)
– `-dpi`: Resolution (default: 100)
– `-sh/–show`: Display plot in window
– `-nc/–no_confirm`: Skip download confirmations
**Examples**:
“`bash
# Search for studies
gget cbio search esophag ovary
# Create heatmap
gget cbio plot -s msk_impact_2017 -g AKT1 ALK BRAF -st tissue -vt mutation_occurrences
“`
“`python
# Python
gget.cbio_search(["esophag", "ovary"])
gget.cbio_plot(["msk_impact_2017"], ["AKT1", "ALK"], stratification="tissue")
“`
#### gget cosmic – COSMIC Database
Search COSMIC (Catalogue Of Somatic Mutations In Cancer) database.
**Important**: License fees apply for commercial use. Requires COSMIC account credentials.
**Parameters**:
– `searchterm`: Gene name, Ensembl ID, mutation notation, or sample ID
– `-ctp/–cosmic_tsv_path`: Path to downloaded COSMIC TSV file (required for querying)
– `-l/–limit`: Maximum results (default: 100)
**Database download flags**:
– `-d/–download_cosmic`: Activate download mode
– `-gm/–gget_mutate`: Create version for gget mutate
– `-cp/–cosmic_project`: Database type (cancer, census, cell_line, resistance, genome_screen, targeted_screen)
– `-cv/–cosmic_version`: COSMIC version
– `-gv/–grch_version`: Human reference genome (37 or 38)
– `–email`, `–password`: COSMIC credentials
**Examples**:
“`bash
# First download database
gget cosmic -d –email [email protected] –password xxx -cp cancer
# Then query
gget cosmic EGFR -ctp cosmic_data.tsv -l 10
“`
“`python
# Python
gget.cosmic("EGFR", cosmic_tsv_path="cosmic_data.tsv", limit=10)
“`
### 5. Additional Tools
#### gget mutate – Generate Mutated Sequences
Generate mutated nucleotide sequences from mutation annotations.
**Parameters**:
– `sequences`: FASTA file path or direct sequence input (string/list)
– `-m/–mutations`: CSV/TSV file or DataFrame with mutation data (required)
– `-mc/–mut_column`: Mutation column name (default: 'mutation')
– `-sic/–seq_id_column`: Sequence ID column (default: 'seq_ID')
– `-mic/–mut_id_column`: Mutation ID column
– `-k/–k`: Length of flanking sequences (default: 30 nucleotides)
**Returns**: Mutated sequences in FASTA format
**Examples**:
“`bash
# Single mutation
gget mutate ATCGCTAAGCT -m "c.4G>T"
# Multiple sequences with mutations from file
gget mutate sequences.fasta -m mutations.csv -o mutated.fasta
“`
“`python
# Python
import pandas as pd
mutations_df = pd.DataFrame({"seq_ID": ["seq1"], "mutation": ["c.4G>T"]})
gget.mutate(["ATCGCTAAGCT"], mutations=mutations_df)
“`
#### gget gpt – OpenAI Text Generation
Generate natural language text using OpenAI's API.
**Setup Required**:
“`bash
gget setup gpt
“`
**Important**: Free tier limited to 3 months after account creation. Set monthly billing limits.
**Parameters**:
– `prompt`: Text input for generation (required)
– `api_key`: OpenAI authentication (required)
– Model configuration: temperature, top_p, max_tokens, frequency_penalty, presence_penalty
– Default model: gpt-3.5-turbo (configurable)
**Examples**:
“`bash
gget gpt "Explain CRISPR" –api_key your_key_here
“`
“`python
# Python
gget.gpt("Explain CRISPR", api_key="your_key_here")
“`
#### gget setup – Install Dependencies
Install/download third-party dependencies for specific modules.
**Parameters**:
– `module`: Module name requiring dependency installation
– `-o/–out`: Output folder path (elm module only)
**Modules requiring setup**:
– `alphafold` – Downloads ~4GB of model parameters
– `cellxgene` – Installs cellxgene-census (may not support latest Python)
– `elm` – Downloads local ELM database
– `gpt` – Configures OpenAI integration
**Examples**:
“`bash
# Setup AlphaFold
gget setup alphafold
# Setup ELM with custom directory
gget setup elm -o /path/to/elm_data
“`
“`python
# Python
gget.setup("alphafold")
“`
## Common Workflows
### Workflow 1: Gene Discovery to Sequence Analysis
Find and analyze genes of interest:
“`python
# 1. Search for genes
results = gget.search(["GABA", "receptor"], species="homo_sapiens")
# 2. Get detailed information
gene_ids = results["ensembl_id"].tolist()
info = gget.info(gene_ids[:5])
# 3. Retrieve sequences
sequences = gget.seq(gene_ids[:5], translate=True)
“`
### Workflow 2: Sequence Alignment and Structure
Align sequences and predict structures:
“`python
# 1. Align multiple sequences
alignment = gget.muscle("sequences.fasta")
# 2. Find similar sequences
blast_results = gget.blast(my_sequence, database="swissprot", limit=10)
# 3. Predict structure
structure = gget.alphafold(my_sequence, plot=True)
# 4. Find linear motifs
ortholog_df, regex_df = gget.elm(my_sequence)
“`
### Workflow 3: Gene Expression and Enrichment
Analyze expression patterns and functional enrichment:
“`python
# 1. Get tissue expression
tissue_expr = gget.archs4("ACE2", which="tissue")
# 2. Find correlated genes
correlated = gget.archs4("ACE2", which="correlation")
# 3. Get single-cell data
adata = gget.cellxgene(gene=["ACE2"], tissue="lung", cell_type="epithelial cell")
# 4. Perform enrichment analysis
gene_list = correlated["gene_symbol"].tolist()[:50]
enrichment = gget.enrichr(gene_list, database="ontology", plot=True)
“`
### Workflow 4: Disease and Drug Analysis
Investigate disease associations and therapeutic targets:
“`python
# 1. Search for genes
genes = gget.search(["breast cancer"], species="homo_sapiens")
# 2. Get disease associations
diseases = gget.opentargets("ENSG00000169194", resource="diseases")
# 3. Get drug associations
drugs = gget.opentargets("ENSG00000169194", resource="drugs")
# 4. Query cancer genomics data
study_ids = gget.cbio_search(["breast"])
gget.cbio_plot(study_ids[:2], ["BRCA1", "BRCA2"], stratification="cancer_type")
# 5. Search COSMIC for mutations
cosmic_results = gget.cosmic("BRCA1", cosmic_tsv_path="cosmic.tsv")
“`
### Workflow 5: Comparative Genomics
Compare proteins across species:
“`python
# 1. Get orthologs
orthologs = gget.bgee("ENSG00000169194", type="orthologs")
# 2. Get sequences for comparison
human_seq = gget.seq("ENSG00000169194", translate=True)
mouse_seq = gget.seq("ENSMUSG00000026091", translate=True)
# 3. Align sequences
alignment = gget.muscle([human_seq, mouse_seq])
# 4. Compare structures
human_structure = gget.pdb("7S7U")
mouse_structure = gget.alphafold(mouse_seq)
“`
### Workflow 6: Building Reference Indices
Prepare reference data for downstream analysis (e.g., kallisto|bustools):
“`bash
# 1. List available species
gget ref –list_species
# 2. Download reference files
gget ref -w gtf -w cdna -d homo_sapiens
# 3. Build kallisto index
kallisto index -i transcriptome.idx transcriptome.fasta
# 4. Download genome for alignment
gget ref -w dna -d homo_sapiens
“`
## Best Practices
### Data Retrieval
– Use `–limit` to control result sizes for large queries
– Save results with `-o/–out` for reproducibility
– Check database versions/releases for consistency across analyses
– Use `–quiet` in production scripts to reduce output
### Sequence Analysis
– For BLAST/BLAT, start with default parameters, then adjust sensitivity
– Use `gget diamond` with `–threads` for faster local alignment
– Save DIAMOND databases with `–diamond_db` for repeated queries
– For multiple sequence alignment, use `-s5/–super5` for large datasets
### Expression and Disease Data
– Gene symbols are case-sensitive in cellxgene (e.g., 'PAX7' vs 'Pax7')
– Run `gget setup` before first use of alphafold, cellxgene, elm, gpt
– For enrichment analysis, use database shortcuts for convenience
– Cache cBioPortal data with `-dd` to avoid repeated downloads
### Structure Prediction
– AlphaFold multimer predictions: use `-mr 20` for higher accuracy
– Use `-r` flag for AMBER relaxation of final structures
– Visualize results in Python with `plot=True`
– Check PDB database first before running AlphaFold predictions
### Error Handling
– Database structures change; update gget regularly: `uv pip install –upgrade gget`
– Process max ~1000 Ensembl IDs at once with gget info
– For large-scale analyses, implement rate limiting for API queries
– Use virtual environments to avoid dependency conflicts
## Output Formats
### Command-line
– Default: JSON
– CSV: Add `-csv` flag
– FASTA: gget seq, gget mutate
– PDB: gget pdb, gget alphafold
– PNG: gget cbio plot
### Python
– Default: DataFrame or dictionary
– JSON: Add `json=True` parameter
– Save to file: Add `save=True` or specify `out="filename"`
– AnnData: gget cellxgene
## Resources
This skill includes reference documentation for detailed module information:
### references/
– `module_reference.md` – Comprehensive parameter reference for all modules
– `database_info.md` – Information about queried databases and their update frequencies
– `workflows.md` – Extended workflow examples and use cases
For additional help:
– Official documentation: https://pachterlab.github.io/gget/
– GitHub issues: https://github.com/pachterlab/gget/issues
– Citation: Luebbert, L. & Pachter, L. (2023). Efficient querying of genomic reference databases with gget. Bioinformatics. https://doi.org/10.1093/bioinformatics/btac836