Make a list in python from a FASTA text file

Question

I have text file like this small example:

>ENST00000491024.1|ENSG00000187583.6|OTTHUMG00000040756.4|OTTHUMT00000097942.2|PLEKHN1-003|PLEKHN1|176
SLESSPDAPDHTSETSHSPLYADPYTPPATSHRRVTDVRGLEEFLSAMQSARGPTPSSPLPSVPVSVPASDPRSCSSGPAGPYLLSKKGALQSRAAQRHRGSAKDGGPQPPDAPQLVSSAREGSPEPWLPLTDGRSPRRSRDPGYDHLWDETLSSSHQKCPQLGGPEASGGLVQWI
>ENST00000433179.2|ENSG00000187642.5|OTTHUMG00000040757.3|-|C1orf170-201|C1orf170|696
MPTQDGQLRRPARPPGPRAWMEPRGGGSSQFSSCPGPASSGDQMQRLLQGPAPRPPGEPPGSPKSPGHSTGSQRPPDSPGAPPRSPSRKKRRAVGAKGGGHTGASASAQTGSPLLPAASPETAKLMAKAGQEELGPGPAGAPEPGPRSPVQEDRPGPGLGLSTPVPVTEQGTDQIRTPRRAKLHTVSTTVWEALPDVSRAKSDMAVSTPASEPQPDRDMAVSTPASEPQSDRDMAVSTPASEPQPDTDMAVSTPASEPQPDRDMAVSIPASKPQSDTAVSTPASEPQSSVALSTPISKPQLDTDVAVSTPASKHGLDVALPTAGPVAKLEVASSPPVSEAVPRMTESSGLVSTPVPRADAAGLAWPPTRRAGPDVVEMEAVVSEPSAGAPGCCSGAPALGLTQVPRKKKVRFSVAGPSPNKPGSGQASARPSAPQTATGAHGGPGAWEAVAVGPRPHQPRILKHLPRPPPSAVTRVGPGSSFAVTLPEAYEFFFCDTIEENEEAEAAAAGQDPAGVQWPDMCEFFFPDVGAQRSRRRGSPEPLPRADPVPAPIPGDPVPISIPEVYEHFFFGEDRLEGVLGPAVPLPLQALEPPRSASEGAGPGTPLKPAVVERLHLALRRAGELRGPVPSFAFSQNDMCLVFVAFATWAVRTSDPHTPDAWKTALLANVGTISAIRYFRRQVGQGRRSHSPSPSS
>ENST00000341290.2|ENSG00000187642.5|OTTHUMG00000040757.3|OTTHUMT00000097943.2|C1orf170-001|C1orf170|676
MEPRGGGSSQFSSCPGPASSGDQMQRLLQGPAPRPPGEPPGSPKSPGHSTGSQRPPDSPGAPPRSPSRKKRRAVGAKGGGHTGASASAQTGSPLLPAASPETAKLMAKAGQEELGPGPAGAPEPGPRSPVQEDRPGPGLGLSTPVPVTEQGTDQIRTPRRAKLHTVSTTVWEALPDVSRAKSDMAVSTPASEPQPDRDMAVSTPASEPQSDRDMAVSTPASEPQPDTDMAVSTPASEPQPDRDMAVSIPASKPQSDTAVSTPASEPQSSVALSTPISKPQLDTDVAVSTPASKHGLDVALPTAGPVAKLEVASSPPVSEAVPRMTESSGLVSTPVPRADAAGLAWPPTRRAGPDVVEMEAVVSEPSAGAPGCCSGAPALGLTQVPRKKKVRFSVAGPSPNKPGSGQASARPSAPQTATGAHGGPGAWEAVAVGPRPHQPRILKHLPRPPPSAVTRVGPGSSFAVTLPEAYEFFFCDTIEENEEAEAAAAGQDPAGVQWPDMCEFFFPDVGAQRSRRRGSPEPLPRADPVPAPIPGDPVPISIPEVYEHFFFGEDRLEGVLGPAVPLPLQALEPPRSASEGAGPGTPLKPAVVERLHLALRRAGELRGPVPSFAFSQNDMCLVFVAFATWAVRTSDPHTPDAWKTALLANVGTISAIRYFRRQVGQGRRSHSPSPSS
>ENST00000428771.2|ENSG00000188290.6|OTTHUMG00000040758.2|OTTHUMT00000097945.2|HES4-002|HES4|247
MAADTPGKPSASPMAGAPASASRTPDKPRSAAEHRKVGSRPGVRGATGGREGRGTQPVPDPQSSKPVMEKRRRARINESLAQLKTLILDALRKESSRHSKLEKADILEMTVRHLRSLRRVQVTAALSADPAVLGKYRAGFHECLAEVNRFLAGCEGVPADVRSRLLGHLAACLRQLGPSRRPASLSPAAPAEAPAPEVYAGRPLLPSLGGPFPLLAPPLLPGLTRALPAAPRAGPQGPGGPWRPWLR

This file is splitted into different groups. Each group has 2 parts. The 1st part starts with ">" and the elements in this part are splitted by "|" and the line after that is the 2nd part. I am trying to make a list in Python from my file which has the 6th element of the ID part of each group. Here is the expected output for the small example:

list = ["PLEKHN1", "C1orf170", "C1orf170", "HES4"]

I am trying to first import into a dictionary and then make a list like expected output using:

from itertools import groupby
with open('infile.txt') as f:
    groups = groupby(f, key=lambda x: not x.startswith(">"))
    d = {}
    for k,v in groups:
        if not k:
            key, val = list(v)[0].rstrip(), "".join(map(str.rstrip,next(groups)[1],""))
            d[key] = val

k = d.keys()
res = [el[5:] for s in k for el in s.split('|')]

But it does not return what I am looking for. Do you know how to fix it?

Answer 1

Since these are clearly protein sequences in FASTA format, I suggest you use Biopython, it will save you time and be more robust than building your own parser:

from Bio import SeqIO

lst = [record.description.split('|')[5] for record in SeqIO.parse('in_file.fasta', 'fasta')]

print(lst)
# ['PLEKHN1', 'C1orf170', 'C1orf170', 'HES4']