NAME
Bio::Seq::MetaI - Interface for sequence objects with residue-based meta information
SYNOPSIS
# get a Bio::Seq::MetaI compliant object somehow
# to test this is a meta seq object
$obj->isa("Bio::Seq::MetaI")
|| $obj->throw("$obj not a Bio::Seq::MetaI");
# accessors
$string = $obj->meta;
$string = $obj->meta_text;
$substring = $obj->submeta(12,50);
$unique_key = $obj->accession_number();DESCRIPTION
This class defines an abstract interface for basic residue-based meta information. Examples of this kind of meta data are secondary structures (RNA and protein), protein hydrophobicity assignments, or other alternative alphabets for polypeptides, sequence quality data and nucleotide alignments with translations.
The length of the meta data sequence is not dependent on the amount of the meta information. The meta information always covers all the residues, but a blank value is used to denote unavailable information. If necessary the implementation quietly truncates or extends meta information with blank values. Definition of blank is implementation dependent. Gaps in MSAs should not have meta information.
At this point a residue in a sequence object can have only one meta value. If you need more, use multiple copies of the sequence object.
Meta data storage can be implemented in various ways, e.g: string, array of scalars, array of hashes, array of objects.
If the implementation so chooses, there can be more then one meta values associated to each residue. See named_meta and names_submeta. Note that use of arbitrary names is very prone to typos leading to creation of additional copies of meta data sets.
Bio::Seq::Meta provides basic, pure perl implementation of sequences with meta information. See Bio::Seq::Meta. Application specific implementations will override and add to these methods.
Method naming
Character based meta data is read and set by method meta() and its variants. These are the suffixes and prefixes used in the variants:
[named_] [sub] meta [_text]- _text
-
Suffix _text guaranties that output is a string. Note that it does not limit the input.
- sub
-
Prefix sub, like in subseq(), means that the method applies to sub region of the sequence range and takes start and end as arguments. Unlike subseq(), these methods are able to set values. If the range is not defined, it defaults to the complete sequence.
- named_
-
Prefix named_ in method names allows the used to attach multiple meta strings to one sequence by explicitly naming them. The name is always the first argument to the method. The "unnamed" methods use the class wide default name for the meta data and are thus special cases "named" methods.
Note that internally names are keys in a hash and any misspelling of a name will silently store the data under a wrong name. The used names (keys) can be retrieved using method meta_names(). See meta_names.
SEE ALSO
Bio::Seq::Meta, Bio::Seq::Meta::Array, Bio::Seq::EncodedSeq, Bio::Tools::OddCodes, Bio::Seq::Quality
FEEDBACK
Mailing Lists
User feedback is an integral part of the evolution of this and other Bioperl modules. Send your comments and suggestions preferably to one of the Bioperl mailing lists. Your participation is much appreciated.
bioperl-l@bioperl.org - General discussion
http://bioperl.org/wiki/Mailing_lists - About the mailing listsSupport
Please direct usage questions or support issues to the mailing list:
bioperl-l@bioperl.org
rather than to the module maintainer directly. Many experienced and reponsive experts will be able look at the problem and quickly address it. Please include a thorough description of the problem with code and data examples if at all possible.
Reporting Bugs
Report bugs to the Bioperl bug tracking system to help us keep track the bugs and their resolution. Bug reports can be submitted via the web:
https://redmine.open-bio.org/projects/bioperl/AUTHOR - Heikki Lehvaslaiho
Email heikki-at-bioperl-dot-org
CONTRIBUTORS
Chad Matsalla, bioinformatics@dieselwurks.com; Aaron Mackey, amackey@virginia.edu; Peter Schattner schattner@alum.mit.edu; Richard Adams, Richard.Adams@ed.ac.uk
APPENDIX
The rest of the documentation details each of the object methods. Internal methods are usually preceded with a _
meta
Title : meta
Usage : $meta_values = $obj->meta($values_string);
Function:
Get and set method for the unnamed meta data starting from
residue position one. Since it is dependent on the length
of the sequence, it needs to be manipulated after the
sequence.
The implementation may choose to accept argument values in
a string or in an array (reference) or in a hash
(reference).
The return value may be a string or an array reference,
depending on the implentation. If in doubt, use meta_text()
which is a variant guarantied to return a string. See
L<meta_text>.
The length of the returned value always matches the length
of the sequence.
Returns : A reference to an array or a string
Args : new value, optionalmeta_text
Title : meta_text()
Usage : $meta_values = $obj->meta_text($values_arrayref);
Function: Variant of meta() guarantied to return a textual
representation of the meta data. For details, see L<meta>.
Returns : a string
Args : new value, optionalnamed_meta
Title : named_meta()
Usage : $meta_values = $obj->named_meta($name, $values_arrayref);
Function: A more general version of meta(). Each meta data set needs
to be named. See also L<meta_names>.
Returns : a string
Args : scalar, name of the meta data set
new value, optionalnamed_meta_text
Title : named_meta_text()
Usage : $meta_values = $obj->named_meta_text($name, $values_arrayref);
Function: Variant of named_meta() guarantied to return a textual
representation of the named meta data.
For details, see L<meta>.
Returns : a string
Args : scalar, name of the meta data set
new value, optionalsubmeta
Title : submeta
Usage : $subset_of_meta_values = $obj->submeta(10, 20, $value_string);
$subset_of_meta_values = $obj->submeta(10, undef, $value_string);
Function:
Get and set method for meta data for subsequences.
Numbering starts from 1 and the number is inclusive, ie 1-2
are the first two residue of the sequence. Start cannot be
larger than end but can be equal.
If the second argument is missing the returned values
should extend to the end of the sequence.
If implementation tries to set values beyond the current
sequence, they should be ignored.
The return value may be a string or an array reference,
depending on the implentation. If in doubt, use
submeta_text() which is a variant guarantied to return a
string. See L<submeta_text>.
Returns : A reference to an array or a string
Args : integer, start position, optional
integer, end position, optional
new value, optionalsubmeta_text
Title : submeta_text
Usage : $meta_values = $obj->submeta_text(20, $value_string);
Function: Variant of submeta() guarantied to return a textual
representation of meta data. For details, see L<meta>.
Returns : a string
Args : integer, start position, optional
integer, end position, optional
new value, optionalnamed_submeta
Title : named_submeta
Usage : $subset_of_meta_values = $obj->named_submeta($name, 10, 20, $value_string);
$subset_of_meta_values = $obj->named_submeta($name, 10);
Function: Variant of submeta() guarantied to return a textual
representation of meta data. For details, see L<meta>.
Returns : A reference to an array or a string
Args : scalar, name of the meta data set
integer, start position
integer, end position, optional when a third argument present
new value, optionalnamed_submeta_text
Title : named_submeta_text
Usage : $meta_values = $obj->named_submeta_text($name, 20, $value_string);
Function: Variant of submeta() guarantied to return a textual
representation of meta data. For details, see L<meta>.
Returns : a string
Args : scalar, name of the meta data
Args : integer, start position, optional
integer, end position, optional
new value, optionalmeta_names
Title : meta_names
Usage : @meta_names = $obj->meta_names()
Function: Retrives an array of meta data set names. The default (unnamed)
set name is guarantied to be the first name.
Returns : an array of names
Args : noneforce_flush
Title : force_flush()
Usage : $force_flush = $obj->force_flush(1);
Function: Automatically pad with empty values or truncate meta values to
sequence length
Returns : boolean 1 or 0
Args : optional boolean valueis_flush
Title : is_flush
Usage : $is_flush = $obj->is_flush()
or $is_flush = $obj->is_flush($my_meta_name)
Function: Boolean to tell if all meta values are in
flush with the sequence length.
Returns true if force_flush() is set
Set verbosity to a positive value to see failed meta sets
Returns : boolean 1 or 0
Args : optional name of the meta setmeta_length
Title : meta_length()
Usage : $meeta_len = $obj->meta_length();
Function: return the number of elements in the meta set
Returns : integer
Args : -named_meta_length
Title : named_meta_length()
Usage : $meeta_len = $obj->named_meta_length($name);
Function: return the number of elements in the named meta set
Returns : integer
Args : -Bio::PrimarySeqI methods
Implemeting classes will need to rewrite these Bio::PrimaryI methods.
revcom
Title : revcom
Usage : $newseq = $seq->revcom();
Function: Produces a new Bio::Seq::MetaI implementing object where
the order of residues and their meta information is reversed.
Returns : A new (fresh) Bio::Seq::MetaI object
Args : nonetrunc
Title : trunc
Usage : $subseq = $myseq->trunc(10,100);
Function: Provides a truncation of a sequence
Returns : a fresh Bio::Seq::MetaI implementing object
Args : Two integers denoting first and last residue of the sub-sequence.