[Bioperl-l] `get_feature_by_name` not working after migrating to Bio::DB::SeqFeature::Store from a Bio::DB::GFF backend

[Scott Cain]

Hi Vivek,

I responded to your original email and I suspect you may have missed
it.  I'll copy it below.  Another few things: how does $locus get
populated?  Are you sure what you expect to be there is?

Also, to answer your question about the other bioperl modules you're
using: no, I don't think that's interfering.

Scott

------------------------------------------------
Hello Vivek,

In your GFF3, you don't have any features of class "Gene".  In GFF2,
the class was the text string that started the ninth column, like
this:

chr2   .  gene    30427563    30429139    .   -   .  Gene 35804

where the class would be Gene and the name (also called group) would
be 35804.  Class is not a particularly well defined concept in GFF3,
so the easiest way to restore functionality to your script is to
change the call from this:

 my ($locus_obj) = $gff_dbh->get_feature_by_name('Gene' => $locus);

to this:

 my ($locus_obj) = $gff_dbh->get_features_by_name(-name => $locus,
-type => 'gene');

I believe (though haven't tested it myself in a very long time) that
you can embed class in the name of the feature, like this:

chr2  .  gene    30427563    30429139    .   -   .  Name=Gene:Medtr2g097580

which may or may not be easier, depending on your data and your code base.

Scott


On Wed, Feb 1, 2012 at 10:50 AM, Vivek Krishnakumar
<vivekkrishnakumar at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Lincoln,
>
> Thanks very much for your suggestions. Not sure how the single quotation
> marks appeared around the $locus variable. But looks like it was only in
> the email. Fortunately did not have quotes around the variable in my
> original code.
>
> Now, when I switch over to 'get_features_by_name()', my script does not run
> to completion.
>
> I want to mention that this snippet of code is part of a larger CGI script
> that interfaces with the SeqFeature backend DB. When I modify the function
> call to $gff_dbh->get_features_by_name($locus), the script just runs
> indefinitely and returns absolutely nothing. I did put in a warn statement
> to see if the correct locus ID is being passed to the function (I am able
> to see the warning message in my apache error log), which seems to be fine.
> But the moment it reaches the function call step, the CGI script freezes up
> and I am unable to do anything. It just ends up as a rogue process owned by
> the 'daemon' user and continues to use up a lot of memory.
>
> I am using the following BioPerl modules in this CGI script:
> use Bio::SeqIO;
> use Bio::SearchIO;
> use Bio::DB::SeqFeature::Store;
> use Bio::SeqFeature::Generic;
> use Bio::Graphics;
> use Bio::Graphics::Feature;
>
> Could any of these be interfering with get_features_by_name()?
>
> Thank you.
> Vivek
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-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scott Cain, Ph. D.                                   scott at scottcain dot net
GMOD Coordinator (http://gmod.org/)                     216-392-3087
Ontario Institute for Cancer Research