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, viral sequences, expression data, disease associations, and mouse tissue/cell specificity metrics through a consistent interface. Most 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. Guidance here targets gget 0.30.5 (PyPI current as of 2026-06-07). For reproducible work, pin gget==0.30.5; for broken upstream database adapters, update gget after checking release notes.

Installation

Install gget in a clean virtual environment to avoid conflicts:

# Reproducible install targeting this skill
uv venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
uv pip install "gget==0.30.5"

# In Python/Jupyter
import gget

Quick Start

Basic usage pattern for all modules:

# 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)

Python argument names generally match long CLI options without leading dashes. For example, --census_version becomes census_version=.... Use gget <module> --help for the exact current signature.

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 as comma-separated CLI values or Python list (gtf, cdna, dna, cds, cdrna, pep). Default: all
• -r/--release: Ensembl release number (default: latest)
• -od/--out_dir: Directory for downloaded files
• -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:

# List available species
gget ref --list_species

# Get all reference files for human
gget ref homo_sapiens

# Download GTF and cDNA files for mouse
gget ref -w gtf,cdna -d mouse

# Python
gget.ref("homo_sapiens")
gget.ref("mus_musculus", which=["gtf", "cdna"], download=True)

gget search - Gene Search

Locate genes by name, description, and Ensembl synonyms 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
• wrap_text: Python-only display helper for wide DataFrames

Returns: ensembl_id, gene_name, ensembl_description, ext_ref_description, biotype, URL

Examples:

# 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
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:

# Get info for multiple genes
gget info ENSG00000034713 ENSG00000104853 ENSG00000170296

# Include PDB IDs
gget info ENSG00000034713 -pdb

# 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:

# Get nucleotide sequences
gget seq ENSG00000034713 ENSG00000104853

# Get all protein isoforms
gget seq -t -iso ENSG00000034713

# 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:

# BLAST protein sequence
gget blast MKWMFKEDHSLEHRCVESAKIRAKYPDRVPVIVEKVSGSQIVDIDKRKYLVPSDITVAQFMWIIRKRIQLPSEKAIFLFVDKTVPQSR

# BLAST from file with specific database
gget blast sequence.fasta -db swissprot -l 10

# 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:

# Find genomic location in human
gget blat ATCGATCGATCGATCG

# Search in different assembly
gget blat -a mm39 ATCGATCGATCGATCG

# 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:

# Align sequences from file
gget muscle sequences.fasta -o aligned.afa

# Use Super5 for large dataset
gget muscle large_dataset.fasta -s5

# Python
gget.muscle("sequences.fasta", save=True)

gget diamond - Local Sequence Alignment

Perform fast local protein alignment or translated nucleotide-to-protein alignment using DIAMOND.

Parameters:

• Query: Sequences (string/list) or FASTA file path
• -ref/--reference: Reference sequences (string/list) or FASTA file path (required)
• -s/--sensitivity: fast, mid-sensitive, sensitive, more-sensitive, very-sensitive (default), ultra-sensitive
• -t/--threads: CPU threads (default: 1)
• -db/--diamond_db: Save database for reuse
• -x/--translated: Enable nucleotide query to amino acid reference alignment

Returns: Identity percentage, sequence lengths, match positions, gap openings, E-values, bit scores

Examples:

# Align against reference
gget diamond GGETISAWESQME -ref reference.fasta -t 4

# Translate nucleotide query against amino acid reference
gget diamond query_nt.fasta -ref proteins.fasta --translated