Agent skill

Biopython Molecular Biology

by jaechang-hits in jaechang-hits/SciAgent-Skills

Molecular biology toolkit: sequence manipulation, FASTA/GenBank/PDB I/O, NCBI Entrez, BLAST automation, pairwise/MSA alignment, Bio.PDB, phylogenetic trees.

BSD-3-ClauseAuto-check passedResearch & Science

Install Biopython Molecular Biology

skills CLI
$ npx skills add jaechang-hits/SciAgent-Skills --skill biopython-molecular-biology -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install jaechang-hits/SciAgent-Skills biopython-molecular-biology --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/jaechang-hits/SciAgent-Skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/genomics-bioinformatics/biopython-molecular-biology .claude/skills/biopython-molecular-biology && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
biopython-molecular-biology
GitHub stars
374
Used in
1 other repo
Token cost
~6k tokens
SKILL.md length
789 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
169
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
BSD-3-Clause

At a glance

Molecular biology toolkit: sequence manipulation, FASTA/GenBank/PDB I/O, NCBI Entrez, BLAST automation, pairwise/MSA alignment, Bio.PDB, phylogenetic trees.

  • Batch processing
  • SKILL.md covers Overview, When to Use, Prerequisites and Quick Start, plus 6 more sections
  • Calls pip and python
  • Custom pipelines

What it does

Biopython Molecular Biology is an agent skill from jaechang-hits/SciAgent-Skills. Molecular biology toolkit: sequence manipulation, FASTA/GenBank/PDB I/O, NCBI Entrez, BLAST automation, pairwise/MSA alignment, Bio.PDB, phylogenetic trees. Use for batch processing, custom pipelines, format conversion, PubMed/GenBank queries. For quick gene lookups use gget; for multi-service REST APIs use bioservices.

Its SKILL.md is about 6k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Research & Science, covering Bioinformatics. It works with NCBI, Biopython, PubMed and Python. The repository describes itself as: 197 bioinformatics & life science skills for Claude Code and AI agents — BixBench 92.0% accuracy. RNA-seq, single-cell, drug discovery, proteomics, and more. Powers OmicsHorizon. The licence is BSD-3-Clause.

When your agent uses it

  • Batch processing
  • Custom pipelines
  • Format conversion
  • PubMed/GenBank queries

Example prompts

  • “/biopython-molecular-biology”

Requirements

  • Python 3

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 82c862c. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • pip
    • python

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    Links to these hosts (documentation or services it may open):

    • biopython.org
    • doi.org
    • ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    • github.com

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Biopython Molecular Biology loads about 6k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 87 tokens; SKILL.md has 789 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~87
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~6k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from jaechang-hits/SciAgent-Skills at commit 82c862c, republished under its BSD-3-Clause licence (© jaechang-hits). 789 words, ~6,048 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/biopython-molecular-biology/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
biopython-molecular-biology
description
Molecular biology toolkit: sequence manipulation, FASTA/GenBank/PDB I/O, NCBI Entrez, BLAST automation, pairwise/MSA alignment, Bio.PDB, phylogenetic trees. Use for batch processing, custom pipelines, format conversion, PubMed/GenBank queries. For quick gene lookups use gget; for multi-service REST APIs use bioservices.
license
Biopython License (BSD-like)

Biopython: Computational Molecular Biology Toolkit

Overview

Biopython is the standard open-source Python library for computational molecular biology, providing modular APIs for sequence handling, biological file parsing, NCBI database access, BLAST searches, protein structure analysis, and phylogenetics. It supports Python 3 and requires NumPy.

When to Use

  • Parse and convert biological file formats (FASTA, GenBank, FASTQ, PDB, mmCIF, PHYLIP)
  • Fetch sequences or publications from NCBI databases (GenBank, PubMed, Protein) programmatically
  • Run and parse BLAST searches (remote NCBI or local BLAST+)
  • Perform pairwise or multiple sequence alignments with custom scoring
  • Analyze 3D protein structures — distances, angles, DSSP, superimposition
  • Build and visualize phylogenetic trees from sequence alignments
  • Calculate sequence statistics (GC content, molecular weight, melting temperature)
  • Batch-process thousands of sequences with custom filtering logic
  • Use pysam instead for reading SAM/BAM/CRAM alignment files and working with mapped reads; use scikit-bio instead for advanced ecological diversity metrics

Prerequisites

  • Python packages: biopython, numpy, matplotlib (for tree visualization)
  • Data requirements: Sequence files (FASTA, GenBank, FASTQ) or accession IDs for NCBI access
  • Environment: Python 3.8+; NCBI Entrez requires email registration
bash
pip install biopython numpy matplotlib

Quick Start

python
from Bio import SeqIO
from Bio.Seq import Seq
from Bio.SeqUtils import gc_fraction

# Parse a FASTA file and compute basic statistics
records = list(SeqIO.parse("sequences.fasta", "fasta"))
print(f"Sequences loaded: {len(records)}")

seq = records[0].seq
print(f"ID: {records[0].id}")
print(f"Length: {len(seq)} bp")
print(f"GC content: {gc_fraction(seq)*100:.1f}%")
print(f"Reverse complement: {seq.reverse_complement()[:30]}...")
print(f"Protein translation: {seq.translate()[:10]}...")

Core API

Module 1: Sequence Objects (Bio.Seq)

Create and manipulate DNA, RNA, and protein sequences.

python
from Bio.Seq import Seq

# Create sequence and perform standard operations
dna = Seq("ATGGCCATTGTAATGGGCCGCTGAAAGGGTGCCCGATAG")
print(f"Length: {len(dna)} bp")
print(f"Complement: {dna.complement()}")
print(f"Reverse complement: {dna.reverse_complement()}")
print(f"Transcription: {dna.transcribe()}")
print(f"Translation: {dna.translate()}")
print(f"Translation (to stop): {dna.translate(to_stop=True)}")
# Length: 39 bp
# Translation: MAIVMGR*KGAR*
# Translation (to stop): MAIVMGR
python
from Bio.Seq import Seq

# Alternative genetic codes (e.g., mitochondrial)
mito_dna = Seq("ATGGCCATTGTAATGGGCCGCTGA")
std_protein = mito_dna.translate(table=1)      # Standard
mito_protein = mito_dna.translate(table=2)     # Vertebrate mitochondrial
print(f"Standard:      {std_protein}")
print(f"Mitochondrial: {mito_protein}")

# Find all start codons
coding_dna = Seq("ATGAAACCCATGGGGTTTAAATAG")
positions = [i for i in range(len(coding_dna) - 2) if coding_dna[i:i+3] == "ATG"]
print(f"ATG positions: {positions}")
# ATG positions: [0, 9]
Module 2: Sequence I/O (Bio.SeqIO)

Read, write, and convert biological file formats.

python
from Bio import SeqIO

# Parse FASTA file — returns SeqRecord iterator
records = list(SeqIO.parse("sequences.fasta", "fasta"))
print(f"Loaded {len(records)} sequences")
for rec in records[:3]:
    print(f"  {rec.id}: {len(rec.seq)} bp — {rec.description}")

# Parse GenBank — rich annotation access
for rec in SeqIO.parse("genome.gb", "genbank"):
    print(f"{rec.id}: {len(rec.features)} features, {len(rec.seq)} bp")
    for feat in rec.features[:5]:
        print(f"  {feat.type}: {feat.location}")

# Convert between formats
count = SeqIO.convert("input.gb", "genbank", "output.fasta", "fasta")
print(f"Converted {count} records: GenBank → FASTA")
python
from Bio import SeqIO
from Bio.SeqRecord import SeqRecord
from Bio.Seq import Seq

# Write sequences to file
records = [
    SeqRecord(Seq("ATCGATCG"), id="seq1", description="test sequence 1"),
    SeqRecord(Seq("GCTAGCTA"), id="seq2", description="test sequence 2"),
]
count = SeqIO.write(records, "output.fasta", "fasta")
print(f"Wrote {count} records to output.fasta")

# Filter sequences by length (streaming — memory efficient)
long_seqs = (rec for rec in SeqIO.parse("large_file.fasta", "fasta") if len(rec.seq) >= 200)
count = SeqIO.write(long_seqs, "filtered.fasta", "fasta")
print(f"Kept {count} sequences >= 200 bp")

# Index large FASTA for random access
idx = SeqIO.index("large_file.fasta", "fasta")
print(f"Indexed {len(idx)} sequences")
rec = idx["target_sequence_id"]
print(f"Retrieved: {rec.id}, {len(rec.seq)} bp")
Module 3: NCBI Database Access (Bio.Entrez)

Programmatic search and download from NCBI databases.

python
from Bio import Entrez, SeqIO

Entrez.email = "your.email@example.com"
# Entrez.api_key = "your_key"  # Optional: 10 req/s instead of 3 req/s

# Search PubMed
handle = Entrez.esearch(db="pubmed", term="CRISPR Cas9 2024", retmax=5)
results = Entrez.read(handle)
handle.close()
print(f"Found {results['Count']} articles, retrieved {len(results['IdList'])} IDs")
print(f"IDs: {results['IdList']}")

# Fetch GenBank record by accession
handle = Entrez.efetch(db="nucleotide", id="EU490707", rettype="gb", retmode="text")
record = SeqIO.read(handle, "genbank")
handle.close()
print(f"{record.id}: {record.description}")
print(f"Length: {len(record.seq)} bp, Features: {len(record.features)}")
python
from Bio import Entrez
import time

Entrez.email = "your.email@example.com"

# Batch download with rate limiting
handle = Entrez.esearch(db="protein", term="insulin[Protein Name] AND human[Organism]", retmax=20)
results = Entrez.read(handle)
handle.close()

# Fetch summaries in batch
ids = results["IdList"][:10]
handle = Entrez.esummary(db="protein", id=",".join(ids))
summaries = Entrez.read(handle)
handle.close()

for doc in summaries:
    print(f"  {doc['AccessionVersion']}: {doc['Title'][:60]}...")
print(f"\nFetched {len(summaries)} protein summaries")
Module 4: BLAST Operations (Bio.Blast)

Run and parse BLAST searches against NCBI or local databases.

python
from Bio.Blast import NCBIWWW, NCBIXML

# Remote BLAST search (nucleotide)
query_seq = "ATCGATCGATCGATCGATCGATCGATCGATCG"
result_handle = NCBIWWW.qblast("blastn", "nt", query_seq, hitlist_size=5)
blast_record = NCBIXML.read(result_handle)
result_handle.close()

print(f"Query: {blast_record.query[:50]}")
print(f"Database: {blast_record.database}")
print(f"Hits: {len(blast_record.alignments)}")

for aln in blast_record.alignments[:3]:
    hsp = aln.hsps[0]
    print(f"\n  {aln.title[:60]}...")
    print(f"  E-value: {hsp.expect:.2e}, Identity: {hsp.identities}/{hsp.align_length}")
    print(f"  Score: {hsp.score}, Bits: {hsp.bits:.1f}")
python
from Bio.Blast.Applications import NcbiblastpCommandline
from Bio.Blast import NCBIXML

# Local BLAST (requires BLAST+ installed)
blastp_cline = NcbiblastpCommandline(
    query="query.fasta",
    db="swissprot",
    evalue=1e-5,
    outfmt=5,  # XML output
    out="blast_results.xml",
    num_threads=4,
)
print(f"Command: {blastp_cline}")
# stdout, stderr = blastp_cline()  # Execute

# Parse local BLAST XML results
with open("blast_results.xml") as f:
    for record in NCBIXML.parse(f):
        print(f"Query: {record.query}")
        for aln in record.alignments[:3]:
            print(f"  Hit: {aln.hit_def[:50]}, E={aln.hsps[0].expect:.2e}")
Module 5: Pairwise Alignment (Bio.Align)

Global and local pairwise sequence alignment with customizable scoring.

python
from Bio import Align

# Global alignment
aligner = Align.PairwiseAligner()
aligner.mode = "global"
aligner.match_score = 2
aligner.mismatch_score = -1
aligner.open_gap_score = -5
aligner.extend_gap_score = -0.5

alignments = aligner.align("ACCGGTAACG", "ACGGTAAC")
print(f"Score: {alignments.score}")
print(f"Number of alignments: {len(alignments)}")
print(f"Best alignment:\n{alignments[0]}")
python
from Bio import Align
from Bio.Align import substitution_matrices

# Protein alignment with BLOSUM62
aligner = Align.PairwiseAligner()
aligner.mode = "local"
aligner.substitution_matrix = substitution_matrices.load("BLOSUM62")
aligner.open_gap_score = -10
aligner.extend_gap_score = -0.5

seq1 = "MVLSPADKTNVKAAWGKVGAHAGEYGAEALERMFLSFPTTKTYFPHFDLSH"
seq2 = "MVHLTPEEKSAVTALWGKVNVDEVGGEALGRLLVVYPWTQRFFESFGDLST"
alignments = aligner.align(seq1, seq2)
print(f"Score: {alignments.score}")
print(f"Best alignment:\n{alignments[0]}")
Module 6: Protein Structure Analysis (Bio.PDB)

Parse PDB/mmCIF files and analyze 3D protein structures.

python
from Bio.PDB import PDBParser, PPBuilder

# Parse PDB structure
parser = PDBParser(QUIET=True)
structure = parser.get_structure("1CRN", "1crn.pdb")

# Navigate SMCRA hierarchy: Structure > Model > Chain > Residue > Atom
model = structure[0]
for chain in model:
    residues = list(chain.get_residues())
    print(f"Chain {chain.id}: {len(residues)} residues")

# Extract sequence from structure
ppb = PPBuilder()
for pp in ppb.build_peptides(structure):
    print(f"Peptide: {pp.get_sequence()[:50]}... ({len(pp.get_sequence())} aa)")

# Calculate CA-CA distance
chain_a = model["A"]
ca1 = chain_a[10]["CA"]
ca2 = chain_a[20]["CA"]
distance = ca1 - ca2
print(f"CA distance (res 10-20): {distance:.2f} Angstrom")
python
from Bio.PDB import PDBParser, Superimposer
import numpy as np

# Structure superimposition (RMSD calculation)
parser = PDBParser(QUIET=True)
struct1 = parser.get_structure("s1", "structure1.pdb")
struct2 = parser.get_structure("s2", "structure2.pdb")

# Get CA atoms for alignment
atoms1 = [res["CA"] for res in struct1[0]["A"].get_residues() if "CA" in res]
atoms2 = [res["CA"] for res in struct2[0]["A"].get_residues() if "CA" in res]

# Superimpose (requires same number of atoms)
n = min(len(atoms1), len(atoms2))
sup = Superimposer()
sup.set_atoms(atoms1[:n], atoms2[:n])
sup.apply(struct2.get_atoms())
print(f"RMSD: {sup.rms:.3f} Angstrom over {n} CA atoms")
Module 7: Phylogenetics (Bio.Phylo)

Build, manipulate, and visualize phylogenetic trees.

python
from Bio import Phylo, AlignIO
from Bio.Phylo.TreeConstruction import DistanceCalculator, DistanceTreeConstructor
import io

# Build tree from multiple sequence alignment
alignment = AlignIO.read("aligned_sequences.fasta", "fasta")
print(f"Alignment: {len(alignment)} sequences, {alignment.get_alignment_length()} positions")

# Calculate distance matrix and build NJ tree
calculator = DistanceCalculator("identity")
dm = calculator.get_distance(alignment)
print(f"Distance matrix:\n{dm}")

constructor = DistanceTreeConstructor()
nj_tree = constructor.nj(dm)
upgma_tree = constructor.upgma(dm)

# Visualize
Phylo.draw_ascii(nj_tree)

# Save tree
Phylo.write(nj_tree, "tree.nwk", "newick")
print("Saved tree.nwk")
Module 8: Sequence Utilities (Bio.SeqUtils)

Compute sequence statistics and physicochemical properties.

python
from Bio.Seq import Seq
from Bio.SeqUtils import gc_fraction, molecular_weight, MeltingTemp

dna = Seq("ATCGATCGATCGATCGATCG")
print(f"GC content: {gc_fraction(dna):.2%}")
print(f"Molecular weight: {molecular_weight(dna, seq_type='DNA'):.2f} Da")
print(f"Melting temp (basic): {MeltingTemp.Tm_Wallace(dna):.1f} C")
print(f"Melting temp (NN):    {MeltingTemp.Tm_NN(dna):.1f} C")

# Protein analysis
from Bio.SeqUtils.ProtParam import ProteinAnalysis
protein = ProteinAnalysis("MVLSPADKTNVKAAWGKVGAHAGEYGAEALERMFLSFPTTK")
print(f"\nProtein MW: {protein.molecular_weight():.2f} Da")
print(f"Isoelectric point: {protein.isoelectric_point():.2f}")
print(f"Aromaticity: {protein.aromaticity():.4f}")
print(f"Instability index: {protein.instability_index():.2f}")
print(f"GRAVY: {protein.gravy():.4f}")
aa_pct = protein.get_amino_acids_percent()
print(f"Top 3 amino acids: {sorted(aa_pct.items(), key=lambda x: -x[1])[:3]}")

Common Workflows

Workflow 1: Gene Sequence Retrieval and Analysis Pipeline

Goal: Fetch a gene from NCBI, analyze its properties, translate to protein, and compute statistics.

python
from Bio import Entrez, SeqIO
from Bio.Seq import Seq
from Bio.SeqUtils import gc_fraction
from Bio.SeqUtils.ProtParam import ProteinAnalysis

Entrez.email = "your.email@example.com"

# Step 1: Fetch gene from GenBank
handle = Entrez.efetch(db="nucleotide", id="NM_007294.4", rettype="gb", retmode="text")
record = SeqIO.read(handle, "genbank")
handle.close()
print(f"Gene: {record.description}")
print(f"Length: {len(record.seq)} bp")

# Step 2: Extract CDS
cds_features = [f for f in record.features if f.type == "CDS"]
if cds_features:
    cds = cds_features[0]
    cds_seq = cds.location.extract(record).seq
    print(f"CDS: {len(cds_seq)} bp, GC: {gc_fraction(cds_seq):.2%}")

    # Step 3: Translate
    protein_seq = cds_seq.translate(to_stop=True)
    print(f"Protein: {len(protein_seq)} aa")
    print(f"First 30 aa: {protein_seq[:30]}...")

    # Step 4: Protein properties
    analysis = ProteinAnalysis(str(protein_seq))
    print(f"MW: {analysis.molecular_weight():.0f} Da")
    print(f"pI: {analysis.isoelectric_point():.2f}")
    print(f"Instability: {analysis.instability_index():.1f}")
    print(f"GRAVY: {analysis.gravy():.3f}")
Workflow 2: Comparative Sequence Analysis with BLAST and Phylogeny

Goal: BLAST a protein sequence, fetch homologs, align, and build a phylogenetic tree.

python
from Bio.Blast import NCBIWWW, NCBIXML
from Bio import Entrez, SeqIO, AlignIO, Phylo
from Bio.Phylo.TreeConstruction import DistanceCalculator, DistanceTreeConstructor
from Bio.Align.Applications import MuscleCommandline
import time

Entrez.email = "your.email@example.com"

# Step 1: BLAST search
query = "MVLSPADKTNVKAAWGKVGAHAGEYGAEALERMFLSFPTTKTYFPHFDLSH"
result_handle = NCBIWWW.qblast("blastp", "swissprot", query, hitlist_size=10)
blast_record = NCBIXML.read(result_handle)
print(f"BLAST hits: {len(blast_record.alignments)}")

# Step 2: Collect homolog accessions
accessions = []
for aln in blast_record.alignments[:8]:
    acc = aln.accession
    accessions.append(acc)
    print(f"  {acc}: E={aln.hsps[0].expect:.2e}, {aln.hit_def[:50]}...")

# Step 3: Fetch sequences and save for alignment
handle = Entrez.efetch(db="protein", id=",".join(accessions), rettype="fasta", retmode="text")
records = list(SeqIO.parse(handle, "fasta"))
handle.close()
SeqIO.write(records, "homologs.fasta", "fasta")
print(f"Saved {len(records)} homolog sequences")

# Step 4: Align (requires MUSCLE installed)
# muscle_cline = MuscleCommandline(input="homologs.fasta", out="aligned.fasta")
# muscle_cline()

# Step 5: Build phylogenetic tree from alignment
alignment = AlignIO.read("aligned.fasta", "fasta")
calculator = DistanceCalculator("blosum62")
dm = calculator.get_distance(alignment)
tree = DistanceTreeConstructor().nj(dm)
Phylo.draw_ascii(tree)
Phylo.write(tree, "homologs.nwk", "newick")
print("Saved phylogenetic tree to homologs.nwk")
Workflow 3: Batch Sequence Processing and Quality Filtering

Goal: Process a large FASTQ/FASTA dataset — filter by quality/length, compute statistics, and export.

python
from Bio import SeqIO
from Bio.SeqUtils import gc_fraction
import pandas as pd

# Step 1: Stream through large file and collect stats
stats = []
passed = []

for rec in SeqIO.parse("reads.fastq", "fastq"):
    seq_len = len(rec.seq)
    gc = gc_fraction(rec.seq)
    avg_qual = sum(rec.letter_annotations["phred_quality"]) / seq_len

    stats.append({"id": rec.id, "length": seq_len, "gc": gc, "avg_qual": avg_qual})

    # Filter: length >= 100 and avg quality >= 20
    if seq_len >= 100 and avg_qual >= 20:
        passed.append(rec)

# Step 2: Summary statistics
df = pd.DataFrame(stats)
print(f"Total reads: {len(df)}")
print(f"Passed QC:   {len(passed)} ({len(passed)/len(df)*100:.1f}%)")
print(f"\nLength:  mean={df['length'].mean():.0f}, median={df['length'].median():.0f}")
print(f"GC:      mean={df['gc'].mean():.2%}, std={df['gc'].std():.2%}")
print(f"Quality: mean={df['avg_qual'].mean():.1f}, min={df['avg_qual'].min():.1f}")

# Step 3: Export filtered reads
count = SeqIO.write(passed, "filtered_reads.fastq", "fastq")
print(f"\nExported {count} filtered reads to filtered_reads.fastq")

# Step 4: Save statistics
df.to_csv("read_statistics.csv", index=False)
print(f"Saved statistics to read_statistics.csv")

Key Parameters

ParameterModuleDefaultRange / OptionsEffect
Seq.translate(table=)Bio.Seq1 (Standard)1-33NCBI genetic code table for translation
Seq.translate(to_stop=)Bio.SeqFalseTrue, FalseStop at first stop codon vs translate entire sequence
SeqIO.parse(format=)Bio.SeqIO—"fasta", "genbank", "fastq", "phylip"File format for parsing
Entrez.emailBio.Entrez(required)Valid emailNCBI requires email for tracking; set before any Entrez call
Entrez.api_keyBio.EntrezNoneNCBI API key stringIncreases rate limit from 3 to 10 requests/second
PairwiseAligner.modeBio.Align"global""global", "local"Needleman-Wunsch vs Smith-Waterman algorithm
PairwiseAligner.open_gap_scoreBio.Align-1-20 to 0Penalty for opening a gap; more negative = fewer gaps
PairwiseAligner.substitution_matrixBio.AlignNone"BLOSUM62", "BLOSUM45", "PAM250"Scoring matrix for protein alignment
PDBParser(QUIET=)Bio.PDBFalseTrue, FalseSuppress parser warnings for non-standard PDB files
DistanceCalculator(model=)Bio.Phylo"identity""identity", "blosum62"Distance model for tree construction
Show full SKILL.md (313 more words)Show less

Common Recipes

Recipe: Restriction Enzyme Analysis

When to use: Find restriction sites in a DNA sequence for cloning design.

python
from Bio.Seq import Seq
from Bio.Restriction import EcoRI, BamHI, HindIII, RestrictionBatch, Analysis

seq = Seq("GAATTCAAAGGATCCTTTTAAGCTTGGGAATTC")

# Single enzyme
print(f"EcoRI cuts at: {EcoRI.search(seq)}")
print(f"BamHI cuts at: {BamHI.search(seq)}")

# Batch analysis
batch = RestrictionBatch([EcoRI, BamHI, HindIII])
analysis = Analysis(batch, seq)
result = analysis.full()
for enzyme, sites in result.items():
    if sites:
        print(f"{enzyme}: cuts at positions {sites}")
Recipe: Motif Discovery and Position Weight Matrix

When to use: Analyze transcription factor binding sites or consensus patterns.

python
from Bio import motifs
from Bio.Seq import Seq

# Create motif from observed binding sites
instances = [
    Seq("TACGAT"),
    Seq("TAGCAT"),
    Seq("TACGGT"),
    Seq("TAGCAT"),
    Seq("TACGAT"),
]
m = motifs.create(instances)
print(f"Consensus: {m.consensus}")
print(f"Degenerate: {m.degenerate_consensus}")
print(f"\nPosition Weight Matrix:")
print(m.counts)

# Score a new sequence against the motif
pwm = m.counts.normalize(pseudocounts=0.5)
pssm = pwm.log_odds()
test_seq = Seq("AATACGATCCC")
for pos, score in pssm.search(test_seq, threshold=0.0):
    print(f"  Position {pos}: score={score:.2f}")
Recipe: GenomeDiagram — Visualize Genomic Features

When to use: Create a circular or linear genome map from a GenBank file.

python
from Bio import SeqIO
from Bio.Graphics import GenomeDiagram
from reportlab.lib import colors
from reportlab.lib.units import cm

# Load annotated genome
record = SeqIO.read("plasmid.gb", "genbank")

# Create diagram
diagram = GenomeDiagram.Diagram(record.name)
track = diagram.new_track(1, name="Annotated Features", greytrack=True)
feature_set = track.new_set()

# Color features by type
color_map = {"CDS": colors.blue, "gene": colors.green, "promoter": colors.red}
for feature in record.features:
    if feature.type in color_map:
        feature_set.add_feature(feature, color=color_map[feature.type], label=True, label_size=8)

# Draw circular map
diagram.draw(format="circular", circular=True, pagesize=(20*cm, 20*cm), start=0, end=len(record))
diagram.write("genome_map.pdf", "PDF")
print(f"Saved genome_map.pdf ({len(record.features)} features)")

When to use: Programmatically search and download publication metadata.

python
from Bio import Entrez
import time

Entrez.email = "your.email@example.com"

# Search PubMed with complex query
query = "(CRISPR[Title]) AND (2024[Date - Publication]) AND (review[Publication Type])"
handle = Entrez.esearch(db="pubmed", term=query, retmax=100)
results = Entrez.read(handle)
handle.close()
print(f"Found {results['Count']} articles")

# Fetch abstracts in batches
ids = results["IdList"]
batch_size = 20
articles = []
for i in range(0, len(ids), batch_size):
    batch = ids[i:i+batch_size]
    handle = Entrez.efetch(db="pubmed", id=",".join(batch), rettype="xml")
    records = Entrez.read(handle)
    handle.close()
    for article in records["PubmedArticle"]:
        info = article["MedlineCitation"]["Article"]
        title = info.get("ArticleTitle", "N/A")
        abstract = info.get("Abstract", {}).get("AbstractText", ["N/A"])[0]
        articles.append({"title": title, "abstract": str(abstract)[:200]})
    time.sleep(0.4)  # Rate limiting

for a in articles[:5]:
    print(f"  {a['title'][:70]}...")
print(f"\nRetrieved {len(articles)} articles")

Troubleshooting

ProblemCauseSolution
HTTPError 400 from EntrezInvalid accession/ID or malformed queryValidate accessions; check query syntax with NCBI web interface first
HTTPError 429 (Too Many Requests)Exceeding NCBI rate limit (3 req/s)Set Entrez.api_key for 10 req/s; add time.sleep(0.4) between calls
ValueError: No records found in SeqIO.read()Empty file or wrong format stringUse SeqIO.parse() to check if file has records; verify format matches actual content
Bio.PDB.PDBExceptions.PDBConstructionWarningNon-standard atoms or occupancy issuesUse PDBParser(QUIET=True) or fix PDB with pdb-tools; check for alternate conformations
BLAST search times outLarge query or busy NCBI serversUse local BLAST+ for large-scale searches; set NCBIWWW.qblast(hitlist_size=N) to limit results
Alignment has sequences of different lengthsUnaligned sequences passed to AlignIOAlign sequences first with MUSCLE/Clustal before loading as alignment
SeqIO.index() raises ValueErrorDuplicate IDs in FASTA fileDeduplicate IDs with SeqIO.to_dict() or pre-process with awk
ImportError: No module named BioBiopython not installed in active environmentpip install biopython; verify with python -c "import Bio; print(Bio.__version__)"
translate() gives unexpected *Stop codons in middle of sequenceCheck reading frame; use Seq.translate(table=N) with correct genetic code
GenomeDiagram blank outputNo features matched filter criteriaCheck feature.type values in your GenBank file; print types to debug

References

© jaechang-hits, BSD-3-Clause. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in skills/genomics-bioinformatics/biopython-molecular-biology of jaechang-hits/SciAgent-Skills.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 82c862c

Used in 1 other repository

We found 1 copy of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 1 other GitHub owner. This page covers the copy in jaechang-hits/SciAgent-Skills, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

Compare with similar skills

Biopython Molecular Biology next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

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BiopythonK-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills48k1 repos~4.3kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT
Biopythonlamm-mit/scienceclaw246—~3.9kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
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Bio Entrez FetchGPTomics/bioSkills1.2k2 repos~3.7kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Questions about Biopython Molecular Biology

What does Biopython Molecular Biology do?

Molecular biology toolkit: sequence manipulation, FASTA/GenBank/PDB I/O, NCBI Entrez, BLAST automation, pairwise/MSA alignment, Bio.PDB, phylogenetic trees. Biopython Molecular Biology is an agent skill from jaechang-hits/SciAgent-Skills.PDB, phylogenetic trees.

When should I use Biopython Molecular Biology?

Biopython Molecular Biology fits situations like: batch processing; custom pipelines; format conversion; pubMed/GenBank queries.

How do I install Biopython Molecular Biology in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add jaechang-hits/SciAgent-Skills --skill biopython-molecular-biology -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/genomics-bioinformatics/biopython-molecular-biology in jaechang-hits/SciAgent-Skills) into .claude/skills/biopython-molecular-biology in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Biopython Molecular Biology in Codex?

Run `npx skills add jaechang-hits/SciAgent-Skills --skill biopython-molecular-biology -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/genomics-bioinformatics/biopython-molecular-biology in jaechang-hits/SciAgent-Skills) into .agents/skills/biopython-molecular-biology in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Biopython Molecular Biology in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add jaechang-hits/SciAgent-Skills --skill biopython-molecular-biology -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/biopython-molecular-biology, .gemini/skills/biopython-molecular-biology, .github/skills/biopython-molecular-biology and .opencode/skills/biopython-molecular-biology in your project.

What does Biopython Molecular Biology need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Biopython Molecular Biology needs the command-line tools its instructions call (pip and python). Our summary lists: Python 3.

Does Biopython Molecular Biology access the network?

SKILL.md names 4 domains. As links in the text: biopython.org, doi.org, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov and github.com. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Biopython Molecular Biology safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Biopython Molecular Biology use?

Biopython Molecular Biology is published under the BSD-3-Clause licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Biopython Molecular Biology use?

About 6k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 24k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Biopython Molecular Biology?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Biopython Molecular Biology: Biopython (davila7/claude-code-templates, 33k stars), Biopython (K-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills, 48k stars), Biopython (lamm-mit/scienceclaw, 246 stars) and Biopython (foryourhealth111-pixel/Vibe-Skills, 3.6k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Biopython Molecular Biology?

jaechang-hits (a GitHub user) maintains it in jaechang-hits/SciAgent-Skills, which has 374 GitHub stars. The repository holds 169 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 29, 2026.

Source: jaechang-hits/SciAgent-Skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.