How to find a open reading frame in Python

Question

I am using Python and a regular expression to find an ORF (open reading frame).

Find a sub-string a string that is composed ONLY of the letters ATGC (no spaces or new lines) that:

Starts with ATG, ends with TAG or TAA or TGA and should consider the sequence from the first character, then second and then third:

Seq= "CCTCAGCGAGGACAGCAAGGGACTAGCCAGGAGGGAGAACAGAAACTCCAGAACATCTTGGAAATAGCTCCCAGAAAAGC
AAGCAGCCAACCAGGCAGGTTCTGTCCCTTTCACTCACTGGCCCAAGGCGCCACATCTCCCTCCAGAAAAGACACCATGA
GCACAGAAAGCATGATCCGCGACGTGGAACTGGCAGAAGAGGCACTCCCCCAAAAGATGGGGGGCTTCCAGAACTCCAGG
CGGTGCCTATGTCTCAGCCTCTTCTCATTCCTGCTTGTGGCAGGGGCCACCACGCTCTTCTGTCTACTGAACTTCGGGGT
GATCGGTCCCCAAAGGGATGAGAAGTTCCCAAATGGCCTCCCTCTCATCAGTTCTATGGCCCAGACCCTCACACTCAGAT
CATCTTCTCAAAATTCGAGTGACAAGCCTGTAGCCCACGTCGTAGCAAACCACCAAGTGGAGGAGCAGCTGGAGTGGCTG
AGCCAGCGCGCCAACGCCCTCCTGGCCAACGGCATGGATCTCAAAGACAACCAACTAGTGGTGCCAGCCGATGGGTTGTA
CCTTGTCTACTCCCAGGTTCTCTTCAAGGGACAAGGCTGCCCCGACTACGTGCTCCTCACCCACACCGTCAGCCGATTTG
CTATCTCATACCAGGAGAAAGTCAACCTCCTCTCTGCCGTCAAGAGCCCCTGCCCCAAGGACACCCCTGAGGGGGCTGAG
CTCAAACCCTGGTATGAGCCCATATACCTGGGAGGAGTCTTCCAGCTGGAGAAGGGGGACCAACTCAGCGCTGAGGTCAA
TCTGCCCAAGTACTTAGACTTTGCGGAGTCCGGGCAGGTCTACTTTGGAGTCATTGCTCTGTGAAGGGAATGGGTGTTCA
TCCATTCTCTACCCAGCCCCCACTCTGACCCCTTTACTCTGACCCCTTTATTGTCTACTCCTCAGAGCCCCCAGTCTGTA
TCCTTCTAACTTAGAAAGGGGATTATGGCTCAGGGTCCAACTCTGTGCTCAGAGCTTTCAACAACTACTCAGAAACACAA
GATGCTGGGACAGTGACCTGGACTGTGGGCCTCTCATGCACCACCATCAAGGACTCAAATGGGCTTTCCGAATTCACTGG
AGCCTCGAATGTCCATTCCTGAGTTCTGCAAAGGGAGAGTGGTCAGGTTGCCTCTGTCTCAGAATGAGGCTGGATAAGAT
CTCAGGCCTTCCTACCTTCAGACCTTTCCAGATTCTTCCCTGAGGTGCAATGCACAGCCTTCCTCACAGAGCCAGCCCCC
CTCTATTTATATTTGCACTTATTATTTATTATTTATTTATTATTTATTTATTTGCTTATGAATGTATTTATTTGGAAGGC
CGGGGTGTCCTGGAGGACCCAGTGTGGGAAGCTGTCTTCAGACAGACATGTTTTCTGTGAAAACGGAGCTGAGCTGTCCC
CACCTGGCCTCTCTACCTTGTTGCCTCCTCTTTTGCTTATGTTTAAAACAAAATATTTATCTAACCCAATTGTCTTAATA
ACGCTGATTTGGTGACCAGGCTGTCGCTACATCACTGAACCTCTGCTCCCCACGGGAGCCGTGACTGTAATCGCCCTACG
GGTCATTGAGAGAAATAA"

What I have tried:

# finding the  stop codon here 

def stop_codon(seq_0):

        for i in range(0,len(seq_0),3):
            if (seq_0[i:i+3]== "TAA" and i%3==0) or (seq_0[i:i+3]== "TAG" and i%3==0) or (seq_0[i:i+3]== "TGA" and i%3==0) :
                a =i+3

                break

            else:
                a = None

# finding the start codon here 

startcodon_find =[m.start() for m in re.finditer('ATG', seq_0)]

How can I find a way to check the start codon and then find the first stop codon. Subsequently find the next start codon and the next stop codon.

I wish to run this for three frames. As mentioned earlier the three frames would be considering the first, second and third characters of the sequence as the start.

Also the sequence needs to be divided into small parts of 3. There for it should be some thing like this:

ATG TTT AAA ACA AAA TAT TTA TCT AAC CCA ATT GTC TTA ATA ACG CTG ATT TGA

Any help will be appreciated.

My final answer :

def orf_find(st0):

    seq_0=""
    for i in range(0,len(st0),3):
        if len(st0[i:i+3])==3:
            seq_0 = seq_0 + st0[i:i+3]+ " "

    ms_1 =[m.start() for m in re.finditer('ATG', seq_0)]
    ms_2 =[m.start() for m in re.finditer('(TAA)|(TAG)|(TGA)', seq_0)]

    def get_next(arr,value):
        for a in arr:
            if a > value:
                return a
        return -1




    codons = []
    start_codon=ms_1[0]
    while (True):
        stop_codon = get_next(ms_2,start_codon)
        if stop_codon == -1:
            break
        codons.append((start_codon,stop_codon))
        start_codon = get_next(ms_1,stop_codon)
        if start_codon==-1:
            break

    max_val = 0
    selected_tupple = ()
    for i in codons:
        k=i[1]-i[0]
        if k > max_val:
            max_val = k
            selected_tupple = i

    print "selected tupple is ", selected_tupple

    final_seq=seq_0[selected_tupple[0]:selected_tupple[1]+3]

    print final_seq
    print "The longest orf length is " + str(max_val)



output_file = open('Longorf.txt','w')
output_file.write(str(orf_find(st0)))

output_file.close()

The above write function does not help me in writing the content on to a text file . All i get in there is NONE.. Why this error .. Can anybody Help ?

Answer 1

If you want to hand-code it:

import re
from string import maketrans

pattern = re.compile(r'(?=(ATG(?:...)*?)(?=TAG|TGA|TAA))')

def revcomp(dna_seq):
    return dna_seq[::-1].translate(maketrans("ATGC","TACG"))

def orfs(dna):
    return set(pattern.findall(dna) + pattern.findall(revcomp(dna)))

print orfs(Seq)