EMBOSS: showseq

| ## EMBOSS: showseq

# Program showseq

## Function

Display a sequence with features, translation etc

## Description

showseq displays a protein or a nucleic acid sequence in a style suitable for publication.

The output is sent to the screen by default for the user to view, but it can write the results to a file.

The display style of the output is very flexible. The user can select a style from the pre-set choice of formats, or can design a style to suit their purposes and aesthetic tastes.

The displayed sequence can be numbered either by numbering the start and ending positions, or by placing a ruler with ticks above or below the sequence.

The width of a line can be set. The width of a margin around the sequence reserved for numbering can be set. The initial position to start numbering from can be set.

The sequence can be translated, using the selectable genetic code tables. The translation can be done in one, three or six frames. The translation can be displayed in one-letter or three-letter amino acid codes. The translation can optionally be displayed only when it is in open reading frames (ORFs) of a specified minimum size. One or more specified regions of the sequence can be individually translated.

Specified regions of the sequence can be displayed in uppercase to highlight them.

The output can be formatted for HTML.

If the output is being formatted for HTML, then specified regions of the sequence can be displayed in any valid HTML colours.

The Restriction Enzyme database (REBASE) is a collection of information about restriction enzymes and related proteins. It contains published and unpublished references, recognition and cleavage sites, isoschizomers, commercial availability, methylation sensitivity, crystal and sequence data. DNA methyltransferases, homing endonucleases, nicking enzymes, specificity subunits and control proteins are also included. Most recently, putative DNA methyltransferases and restriction enzymes, as predicted from analysis of genomic sequences, are also listed.

The home page of REBASE is: http://rebase.neb.com/

This program can use REBASE data to find the recognition sites and/or cut sites of restriction enzymes in a nucleic acid sequence.

This program can display the cut sites on both strands.

One potentially very useful option is '-flatreformat' that displays not only the cut sites which many other restriction cut-site programs will show, but also shows the recognition site.

If the sequence is in EMBL, Genbank or SwissProt format, the feature table of the sequence can be dispalyed with the sequence. GFF file features can also be displayed if they are included on the command line with the -ufo=file qualifier.

## Usage

Here is a sample session with showseq. By default the output appears on standard output (the terminal) but can be saved to a file. We only look at a small section of the sequence to save space.

    % showseq embl:eclac -sbeg 1 -send 100
    Display a sequence with features, translation etc..
    Output file [stdout]:
    Things to display
             0 : Enter your own list of things to display
             1 : Sequence only
             2 : Default sequence with features
             3 : Pretty sequence
             4 : One frame translation
             5 : Three frame translations
             6 : Six frame translations
             7 : Restriction enzyme map
             8 : Baroque

    Display format [2]:
    ECLAC
    E.coli lactose operon with lacI, lacZ, lacY and lacA genes.

                       10        20        30        40        50        60
              ----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|
              gacaccatcgaatggcgcaaaacctttcgcggtatggcatgatagcgcccggaagagagt
                             |
              variation note="c in wild-type; t in 'up' promoter mutant I-Q [11]"
                                                                |=========
              mRNA note="lacI (repressor) mRNA; preferred in vivo 3' end [12],[29]"

                       70        80        90        100       110       120
              ----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|
              caattcagggtggtgaatgtgaaaccagtaacgttatacgatgtcgcagagtatgccggt
              ============================================================
              mRNA note="lacI (repressor) mRNA; preferred in vivo 3' end [12],[29]"
                                |=========================================
              CDS codon_start="1" db_xref="SWISS-PROT:P03023" note="lac repressor p

Note that although we asked for the sequence display to end at position '100', it has displayed the sequence up to the end of the line - position '120'. This is a feature of this program to make the display of things like restriction enzyme cutting sites easier.

The standard list of output formats are only a small selection of the possible ways in which a sequence might be displayed. Precise control over the output format is acheived by selecting the qualifier '-format 0' (Option 0 in the list of things to display). For example:

    % showseq embl:eclac -sbeg 1 -send 120
    Display a sequence with features, translation etc..
    Output file [stdout]:
    Things to display
             0 : Enter your own list of things to display
             1 : Sequence only
             2 : Default sequence with features
             3 : Pretty sequence
             4 : One frame translation
             5 : Three frame translations
             6 : Six frame translations
             7 : Restriction enzyme map
             8 : Baroque
    Display format [2]: 0
    Specify your own things to display
             S : Sequence
             B : Blank line
             1 : Frame1 translation
             2 : Frame2 translation
             3 : Frame3 translation
            -1 : CompFrame1 translation
            -2 : CompFrame2 translation
            -3 : CompFrame3 translation
             T : Ticks line
             N : Number ticks line
             C : Complement sequence
             F : Features
             R : Restriction enzyme cut sites in forward sense
            -R : Restriction enzyme cut sites in reverse sense
             A : Annotation
    Enter a list of things to display [B N T S A F]: b,s,t,c
    ECLAC
    E.coli lactose operon with lacI, lacZ, lacY and lacA genes.

              gacaccatcgaatggcgcaaaacctttcgcggtatggcatgatagcgcccggaagagagt
              ----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|
              ctgtggtagcttaccgcgttttggaaagcgccataccgtactatcgcgggccttctctca

              caattcagggtggtgaatgtgaaaccagtaacgttatacgatgtcgcagagtatgccggt
              ----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|
              gttaagtcccaccacttacactttggtcattgcaatatgctacagcgtctcatacggcca

By choosing format '0' and then specifying that we want to display the things: 'b,s,t,c', we will output the sequence in the following way:

For every new line that the sequence starts to write, the output display will contain first a blank line ('b'), then the sequence itself ('s') then a line of with ticks every 10 characters ('t') then the reverse complement of the sequence ('c'). Subsequent lines of the sequence output will repeat this format.

The 'thing' codes used in the list of standard formats are:

    Sequence only:                  S A
    Default sequence:               B N T S A F
    Pretty sequence:                B N T S A
    One frame translation:          B N T S B 1 A F
    Three frame translations:       B N T S B 1 2 3 A F
    Six frame translations:         B N T S B 1 2 3 T -3 -2 -1 A F
    Restriction enzyme map:         B R S N T C -R B 1 2 3 T -3 -2 -1 A
    Baroque:                        B 1 2 3 N T R S T C -R T -3 -2 -1 A F

The following are some examples of different formats:

    Just sequence:

    % showseq embl:eclac stdout -sbeg 1 -send 120 -noname -nodesc -format 0 -thing S
    Display a sequence with features, translation etc..
              gacaccatcgaatggcgcaaaacctttcgcggtatggcatgatagcgcccggaagagagt
              caattcagggtggtgaatgtgaaaccagtaacgttatacgatgtcgcagagtatgccggt

Protein sequence displayed in three-letter codes. (The codes are displayed downwards, so the first code is 'Met'):

    % showseq sw:rs24_fugru stdout -three -format 2
    RS24_FUGRU
    40S RIBOSOMAL PROTEIN S24.

                       10        20        30        40        50        60
              ----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|
              MAATVTVATALPMTAALLGALGMVVAVLHPGLATVPLTGIAGLLALMTLTTPAVVPVPGP
              esshaharhryhehsreelryleaasaeirlylharyhllrlyelyeyyhhrsaahahlh
              tnprlrlgrgsetrnguungsntllplusoysarlosruegusuastrsrroplleleye

                       70        80        90        100       110       120
              ----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|
              ATGPGGGLTTGPAMVTASLATALLAGPLHALAAHGLPGLLLTSALGALGALAAMLLVAGT
              rhlhlllyhhlhleayseesylyyslryirelrilehlyyyherylrylrysreyyarlh
              grneyyysrryeatlrpruprassnuossguagsyueusssrrgsngsugsngtsslgyr

                       130       140       150       160       170       180
              ----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|
              LLASVGASLLLA
              yylealleyyys
              ssarlyarsssp

Number the sequence lines in the margin:

    % showseq embl:mmam stdout -format 1 -number
    Display a sequence with features, translation etc..
    Output file [stdout]:
    MMAM
    Mus musculus (cell line C3H/F2-11) chromosome 12 anti-DNA antibody
    heavy chain mRNA.
            1 gagnnccagctgcagcagtctggacctgagctggtaaagcctggggcttcagtgaagatg 60
           61 tcctgcaaggcttctggatacacattcactagctatgttatgcactgggtgaatcagaag 120
          121 cctgggcagggccttgagtggattggatatattaatccttacaatgatggtactaactac 180
          181 aatgagaagttcaaaggcaaggccacactgacttcagacaaatcctccagcacagcctac 240
          241 atggagttcagcagcctgacctctgaggactctgcggtctattactgtgcaagaaaaact 300
          301 tcctactatagtaacctatattactttgactactggggccaaggcaccactctcacagtc 360
          361 tcctca                                                       366

Start the numbering at a specified value ('123' in this case):

    % showseq embl:mmam stdout -format 1 -number -offset 123
    Display a sequence with features, translation etc..
    MMAM
    Mus musculus (cell line C3H/F2-11) chromosome 12 anti-DNA antibody
    heavy chain mRNA.
          123 gagnnccagctgcagcagtctggacctgagctggtaaagcctggggcttcagtgaagatg 182
          183 tcctgcaaggcttctggatacacattcactagctatgttatgcactgggtgaatcagaag 242
          243 cctgggcagggccttgagtggattggatatattaatccttacaatgatggtactaactac 302
          303 aatgagaagttcaaaggcaaggccacactgacttcagacaaatcctccagcacagcctac 362
          363 atggagttcagcagcctgacctctgaggactctgcggtctattactgtgcaagaaaaact 422
          423 tcctactatagtaacctatattactttgactactggggccaaggcaccactctcacagtc 482
          483 tcctca                                                       488

Make selected regions uppercase. (Use '-slower' to force the rest of the sequence to be lowercase).

    % showseq embl:mmam stdout -format 1 -slower -upper '25-45,101-203,333-362'
    Display a sequence with features, translation etc..
    MMAM
    Mus musculus (cell line C3H/F2-11) chromosome 12 anti-DNA antibody
    heavy chain mRNA.
              gagnnccagctgcagcagtctggaCCTGAGCTGGTAAAGCCTGGGgcttcagtgaagatg
              tcctgcaaggcttctggatacacattcactagctatgttaTGCACTGGGTGAATCAGAAG
              CCTGGGCAGGGCCTTGAGTGGATTGGATATATTAATCCTTACAATGATGGTACTAACTAC
              AATGAGAAGTTCAAAGGCAAGGCcacactgacttcagacaaatcctccagcacagcctac
              atggagttcagcagcctgacctctgaggactctgcggtctattactgtgcaagaaaaact
              tcctactatagtaacctatattactttgactaCTGGGGCCAAGGCACCACTCTCACAGTC
              TCctca

Translate selected regions:

    % showseq embl:mmam stdout -format 4 -send 120 -trans 25-49,66-76
    Display a sequence with features, translation etc..
    MMAM
    Mus musculus (cell line C3H/F2-11) chromosome 12 anti-DNA antibody
    heavy chain mRNA.

                       10        20        30        40        50        60
              ----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|
              gagnnccagctgcagcagtctggacctgagctggtaaagcctggggcttcagtgaagatg

                                      P  E  L  V  K  P  G  A  S

                       70        80        90        100       110       120
              ----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|
              tcctgcaaggcttctggatacacattcactagctatgttatgcactgggtgaatcagaag

                     R  L  L

Add your own annotation to the display

    % showseq embl:mmam stdout -format 2 -send 120 -annotation '13-26 binding site 15-15 SNP'
    Display a sequence with features, translation etc..
    MMAM
    Mus musculus (cell line C3H/F2-11) chromosome 12 anti-DNA antibody
    heavy chain mRNA.

                       10        20        30        40        50        60
              ----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|
              gagnnccagctgcagcagtctggacctgagctggtaaagcctggggcttcagtgaagatg
                          |------------|
                          binding site
                            |
                            SNP

                       70        80        90        100       110       120
              ----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|
              tcctgcaaggcttctggatacacattcactagctatgttatgcactgggtgaatcagaag

## Command line arguments

       Mandatory qualifiers (* if not always prompted):
      [-sequence]          seqall     Sequence database USA
       -format             menu       Display format
    *  -things             menu       Specify a list of one or more code
                                      characters in the order in which you wish
                                      things to be displayed one above the other
                                      down the page. For example if you wish to
                                      see things displayed in the order: sequence,
                                      complement sequence, ticks line, frame 1
                                      translation, blank line; then you should
                                      enter 'S,C,T,1,B'.
      [-outfile]           outfile    If you enter the name of a file here then
                                      this program will write the sequence details
                                      into that file.

       Optional qualifiers:
       -translate          range      Regions to translate (if translating).
                                      If this is left blank the complete sequence
                                      is translated.
                                      A set of regions is specified by a set of
                                      pairs of positions.
                                      The positions are integers.
                                      They are separated by any non-digit,
                                      non-alpha character.
                                      Examples of region specifications are:
                                      24-45, 56-78
                                      1:45, 67=99;765..888
                                      1,5,8,10,23,45,57,99
       -uppercase          range      Regions to put in uppercase.
                                      If this is left blank, then the sequence
                                      case is left alone.
                                      A set of regions is specified by a set of
                                      pairs of positions.
                                      The positions are integers.
                                      They are separated by any non-digit,
                                      non-alpha character.
                                      Examples of region specifications are:
                                      24-45, 56-78
                                      1:45, 67=99;765..888
                                      1,5,8,10,23,45,57,99
       -highlight          range      Regions to colour if formatting for HTML.
                                      If this is left blank, then the sequence is
                                      left alone.
                                      A set of regions is specified by a set of
                                      pairs of positions.
                                      The positions are integers.
                                      They are followed by any valid HTML font
                                      colour.
                                      Examples of region specifications are:
                                      24-45 blue 56-78 orange
                                      1-100 green 120-156 red
                                      A file of ranges to colour (one range per
                                      line) can be specified as '@filename'.
       -annotation         range      Regions to annotate by marking.
                                      If this is left blank, then no annotation is
                                      added.
                                      A set of regions is specified by a set of
                                      pairs of positions followed by optional
                                      text.
                                      The positions are integers.
                                      They are followed by any text (but not
                                      digits when on the command-line).
                                      Examples of region specifications are:
                                      24-45 new domain 56-78 match to Mouse
                                      1-100 First part 120-156 oligo
                                      A file of ranges to annotate (one range per
                                      line) can be specified as '@filename'.
       -enzymes            string     The name 'all' reads in all enzyme names
                                      from the REBASE database. You can specify
                                      enzymes by giving their names with commas
                                      between then, such as:
                                      'HincII,hinfI,ppiI,hindiii'.
                                      The case of the names is not important. You
                                      can specify a file of enzyme names to read
                                      in by giving the name of the file holding
                                      the enzyme names with a '@' character in
                                      front of it, for example, '@enz.list'.
                                      Blank lines and lines starting with a hash
                                      character or '!' are ignored and all other
                                      lines are concatenated together with a comma
                                      character ',' and then treated as the list
                                      of enzymes to search for.
                                      An example of a file of enzyme names is:
                                      ! my enzymes
                                      HincII, ppiII
                                      ! other enzymes
                                      hindiii
                                      HinfI
                                      PpiI
       -table              menu       Code to use
       -matchsource        string     By default any feature source in the feature
                                      table is shown. You can set this to match
                                      any feature source you wish to show.
                                      The source name is usually either the name
                                      of the program that detected the feature or
                                      it is the feature table (eg: EMBL) that the
                                      feature came from.
                                      The source may be wildcarded by using '*'.
                                      If you wish to show more than one source,
                                      separate their names with the character '|',
                                      eg:
                                      gene* | embl
       -matchtype          string     By default any feature type in the feature
                                      table is shown. You can set this to match
                                      any feature type you wish to show.
                                      See http://www3.ebi.ac.uk/Services/WebFeat/
                                      for a list of the EMBL feature types and see
                                      Appendix A of the Swissprot user manual in
                                      http://www.expasy.ch/txt/userman.txt for a
                                      list of the Swissprot feature types.
                                      The type may be wildcarded by using '*'.
                                      If you wish to show more than one type,
                                      separate their names with the character '|',
                                      eg:
                                      *UTR | intron
       -matchsense         integer    By default any feature type in the feature
                                      table is shown. You can set this to match
                                      any feature sense you wish to show. 0 - any
                                      sense, 1 - forward sense, -1 - reverse sense
       -minscore           float      If this is greater than or equal to the
                                      maximum score, then any score is permitted
       -maxscore           float      If this is less than or equal to the maximum
                                      score, then any score is permitted
       -matchtag           string     Tags are the types of extra values that a
                                      feature may have. For example in the EMBL
                                      feature table, a 'CDS' type of feature may
                                      have the tags '/codon', '/codon_start',
                                      '/db_xref', '/EC_number', '/evidence',
                                      '/exception', '/function', '/gene',
                                      '/label', '/map', '/note', '/number',
                                      '/partial', '/product', '/protein_id',
                                      '/pseudo', '/standard_name', '/translation',
                                      '/transl_except', '/transl_table', or
                                      '/usedin'. Some of these tags also have
                                      values, for example '/gene' can have the
                                      value of the gene name.
                                      By default any feature tag in the feature
                                      table is shown. You can set this to match
                                      any feature tag you wish to show.
                                      The tag may be wildcarded by using '*'.
                                      If you wish to show more than one tag,
                                      separate their names with the character '|',
                                      eg:
                                      gene | label
       -matchvalue         string     Tag values are the values associated with a
                                      feature tag. Tags are the types of extra
                                      values that a feature may have. For example
                                      in the EMBL feature table, a 'CDS' type of
                                      feature may have the tags '/codon',
                                      '/codon_start', '/db_xref', '/EC_number',
                                      '/evidence', '/exception', '/function',
                                      '/gene', '/label', '/map', '/note',
                                      '/number', '/partial', '/product',
                                      '/protein_id', '/pseudo', '/standard_name',
                                      '/translation', '/transl_except',
                                      '/transl_table', or '/usedin'. Only some of
                                      these tags can have values, for example
                                      '/gene' can have the value of the gene name.
                                      By default any feature tag value in the
                                      feature table is shown. You can set this to
                                      match any feature tag valueyou wish to show.
                                      The tag value may be wildcarded by using
                                      '*'.
                                      If you wish to show more than one tag value,
                                      separate their names with the character
                                      '|', eg:
                                      pax* | 10

       Advanced qualifiers:
       -orfminsize         integer    Minimum size of Open Reading Frames (ORFs)
                                      to display in the translations.
       -flatreformat       bool       Display RE sites in flat format
       -mincuts            integer    Minimum cuts per RE
       -maxcuts            integer    Maximum cuts per RE
       -sitelen            integer    Minimum recognition site length
       -single             bool       Force single RE site only cuts
       -[no]blunt          bool       Allow blunt end RE cutters
       -[no]sticky         bool       Allow sticky end RE cutters
       -[no]ambiguity      bool       Allow ambiguous RE matches
       -plasmid            bool       Allow circular DNA
       -[no]commercial     bool       Only use restriction enzymes with suppliers
       -[no]limit          bool       Limits RE hits to one isoschizomer
       -preferred          bool       Report preferred isoschizomers
       -threeletter        bool       Display protein sequences in three-letter
                                      code
       -number             bool       Number the sequences
       -width              integer    Width of sequence to display
       -length             integer    Line length of page (0 for indefinite)
       -margin             integer    Margin around sequence for numbering
       -[no]name           bool       Set this to be false if you do not wish to
                                      display the ID name of the sequence
       -[no]description    bool       Set this to be false if you do not wish to
                                      display the description of the sequence
       -offset             integer    Offset to start numbering the sequence from
       -html               bool       Use HTML formatting

       General qualifiers:
      -help                bool       report command line options. More
                                      information on associated and general
                                      qualifiers can be found with -help -verbose

Mandatory qualifiers | Allowed values | Default
--- | --- | ---
[-sequence] (Parameter 1) | Sequence database USA | Readable sequence(s) | Required
-format | Display format |
0 | (Enter your own list of things to display)
1 | (Sequence only)
2 | (Default sequence with features)
3 | (Pretty sequence)
4 | (One frame translation)
5 | (Three frame translations)
6 | (Six frame translations)
7 | (Restriction enzyme map)
8 | (Baroque)
| 2
-things | Specify a list of one or more code characters in the order in which you wish things to be displayed one above the other down the page. For example if you wish to see things displayed in the order: sequence, complement sequence, ticks line, frame 1 translation, blank line; then you should enter 'S,C,T,1,B'. |
S | (Sequence)
B | (Blank line)
1 | (Frame1 translation)
2 | (Frame2 translation)
3 | (Frame3 translation)
-1 | (CompFrame1 translation)
-2 | (CompFrame2 translation)
-3 | (CompFrame3 translation)
T | (Ticks line)
N | (Number ticks line)
C | (Complement sequence)
F | (Features)
R | (Restriction enzyme cut sites in forward sense)
-R | (Restriction enzyme cut sites in reverse sense)
A | (Annotation)
| B,N,T,S,A,F
[-outfile] (Parameter 2) | If you enter the name of a file here then this program will write the sequence details into that file. | Output file | stdout
Optional qualifiers | Allowed values | Default
-translate | Regions to translate (if translating). If this is left blank the complete sequence is translated. A set of regions is specified by a set of pairs of positions. The positions are integers. They are separated by any non-digit, non-alpha character. Examples of region specifications are: 24-45, 56-78 1:45, 67=99;765..888 1,5,8,10,23,45,57,99 | Sequence range | If this is left blank the complete sequence is translated.
-uppercase | Regions to put in uppercase. If this is left blank, then the sequence case is left alone. A set of regions is specified by a set of pairs of positions. The positions are integers. They are separated by any non-digit, non-alpha character. Examples of region specifications are: 24-45, 56-78 1:45, 67=99;765..888 1,5,8,10,23,45,57,99 | Sequence range | If this is left blank, then the sequence case is left alone.
-highlight | Regions to colour if formatting for HTML. If this is left blank, then the sequence is left alone. A set of regions is specified by a set of pairs of positions. The positions are integers. They are followed by any valid HTML font colour. Examples of region specifications are: 24-45 blue 56-78 orange 1-100 green 120-156 red A file of ranges to colour (one range per line) can be specified as '@filename'. | Sequence range | full sequence
-annotation | Regions to annotate by marking. If this is left blank, then no annotation is added. A set of regions is specified by a set of pairs of positions followed by optional text. The positions are integers. They are followed by any text (but not digits when on the command-line). Examples of region specifications are: 24-45 new domain 56-78 match to Mouse 1-100 First part 120-156 oligo A file of ranges to annotate (one range per line) can be specified as '@filename'. | Sequence range | If this is left blank, then no annotation is added.
-enzymes | The name 'all' reads in all enzyme names from the REBASE database. You can specify enzymes by giving their names with commas between then, such as: 'HincII,hinfI,ppiI,hindiii'. The case of the names is not important. You can specify a file of enzyme names to read in by giving the name of the file holding the enzyme names with a '@' character in front of it, for example, '@enz.list'. Blank lines and lines starting with a hash character or '!' are ignored and all other lines are concatenated together with a comma character ',' and then treated as the list of enzymes to search for. An example of a file of enzyme names is: ! my enzymes HincII, ppiII ! other enzymes hindiii HinfI PpiI | Any string is accepted | all
-table | Code to use |
0 | (Standard)
1 | (Standard (with alternative initiation codons))
2 | (Vertebrate Mitochondrial)
3 | (Yeast Mitochondrial)
4 | (Mold, Protozoan, Coelenterate Mitochondrial and Mycoplasma/Spiroplasma)
5 | (Invertebrate Mitochondrial)
6 | (Ciliate Macronuclear and Dasycladacean)
9 | (Echinoderm Mitochondrial)
10 | (Euplotid Nuclear)
11 | (Bacterial)
12 | (Alternative Yeast Nuclear)
13 | (Ascidian Mitochondrial)
14 | (Flatworm Mitochondrial)
15 | (Blepharisma Macronuclear)
16 | (Chlorophycean Mitochondrial)
21 | (Trematode Mitochondrial)
22 | (Scenedesmus obliquus)
23 | (Thraustochytrium Mitochondrial)
| 0
-matchsource | By default any feature source in the feature table is shown. You can set this to match any feature source you wish to show. The source name is usually either the name of the program that detected the feature or it is the feature table (eg: EMBL) that the feature came from. The source may be wildcarded by using '*'. If you wish to show more than one source, separate their names with the character '|', eg: gene* | embl | Any string is accepted | *
-matchtype | By default any feature type in the feature table is shown. You can set this to match any feature type you wish to show. See http://www3.ebi.ac.uk/Services/WebFeat/ for a list of the EMBL feature types and see Appendix A of the Swissprot user manual in http://www.expasy.ch/txt/userman.txt for a list of the Swissprot feature types. The type may be wildcarded by using '*'. If you wish to show more than one type, separate their names with the character '|', eg: *UTR | intron | Any string is accepted | *
-matchsense | By default any feature type in the feature table is shown. You can set this to match any feature sense you wish to show. 0 - any sense, 1 - forward sense, -1 - reverse sense | Any integer value | 0 - any sense, 1 - forward sense, -1 - reverse sense
-minscore | If this is greater than or equal to the maximum score, then any score is permitted | Any integer value | 0.0
-maxscore | If this is less than or equal to the maximum score, then any score is permitted | Any integer value | 0.0
-matchtag | Tags are the types of extra values that a feature may have. For example in the EMBL feature table, a 'CDS' type of feature may have the tags '/codon', '/codon_start', '/db_xref', '/EC_number', '/evidence', '/exception', '/function', '/gene', '/label', '/map', '/note', '/number', '/partial', '/product', '/protein_id', '/pseudo', '/standard_name', '/translation', '/transl_except', '/transl_table', or '/usedin'. Some of these tags also have values, for example '/gene' can have the value of the gene name. By default any feature tag in the feature table is shown. You can set this to match any feature tag you wish to show. The tag may be wildcarded by using '*'. If you wish to show more than one tag, separate their names with the character '|', eg: gene | label | Any string is accepted | *
-matchvalue | Tag values are the values associated with a feature tag. Tags are the types of extra values that a feature may have. For example in the EMBL feature table, a 'CDS' type of feature may have the tags '/codon', '/codon_start', '/db_xref', '/EC_number', '/evidence', '/exception', '/function', '/gene', '/label', '/map', '/note', '/number', '/partial', '/product', '/protein_id', '/pseudo', '/standard_name', '/translation', '/transl_except', '/transl_table', or '/usedin'. Only some of these tags can have values, for example '/gene' can have the value of the gene name. By default any feature tag value in the feature table is shown. You can set this to match any feature tag valueyou wish to show. The tag value may be wildcarded by using '*'. If you wish to show more than one tag value, separate their names with the character '|', eg: pax* | 10 | Any string is accepted | *
Advanced qualifiers | Allowed values | Default
-orfminsize | Minimum size of Open Reading Frames (ORFs) to display in the translations. | Integer 0 or more | 0
-flatreformat | Display RE sites in flat format | Yes/No | No
-mincuts | Minimum cuts per RE | Integer from 1 to 1000 | 1
-maxcuts | Maximum cuts per RE | Integer up to 2000000000 | 2000000000
-sitelen | Minimum recognition site length | Integer from 2 to 20 | 4
-single | Force single RE site only cuts | Yes/No | No
-[no]blunt | Allow blunt end RE cutters | Yes/No | Yes
-[no]sticky | Allow sticky end RE cutters | Yes/No | Yes
-[no]ambiguity | Allow ambiguous RE matches | Yes/No | Yes
-plasmid | Allow circular DNA | Yes/No | No
-[no]commercial | Only use restriction enzymes with suppliers | Yes/No | Yes
-[no]limit | Limits RE hits to one isoschizomer | Yes/No | Yes
-preferred | Report preferred isoschizomers | Yes/No | No
-threeletter | Display protein sequences in three-letter code | Yes/No | No
-number | Number the sequences | Yes/No | No
-width | Width of sequence to display | Integer 1 or more | 60
-length | Line length of page (0 for indefinite) | Integer 0 or more | 0
-margin | Margin around sequence for numbering | Integer 0 or more | 10
-[no]name | Set this to be false if you do not wish to display the ID name of the sequence | Yes/No | Yes
-[no]description | Set this to be false if you do not wish to display the description of the sequence | Yes/No | Yes
-offset | Offset to start numbering the sequence from | Any integer value | 1
-html | Use HTML formatting | Yes/No | No

## Input file format

You can specifiy a file of ranges to display in uppercase by giving the '-uppercase' qualifier the value '@' followed by the name of the file containing the ranges. (eg: '-upper @myfile').

The format of the range file is:

- Comment lines start with '#' in the first column.
- Comment lines and blank lines are ignored.
- The line may start with white-space.
- There are two positive (integer) numbers per line separated by one or more space or
- TAB characters.
- The second number must be greater or equal to the first number.
- There can be optional text after the two numbers to annotate the line.
- White-space before or after the text is removed.

An example range file is:

    # this is my set of ranges
    12   23
     4   5       this is like 12-23, but smaller
    67   10348   interesting region

You can specifiy a file of ranges to highlight in a different colour when outputting in HTML format (using the '-html' qualifier) by giving the '-highlight' qualifier the value '@' followed by the name of the file containing the ranges. (eg: '-highlight @myfile').

The format of this file is very similar to the format of the above uppercase range file, except that the text after the start and end positions is used as the HTML colour name. This colour name is used 'as is' when specifying the colour in HTML in a '' construct, (where 'xxx' is the name of the colour).

The standard names of HTML font colours are given in:
http://http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/types.html and http://www.ausmall.com.au/freegraf/ncolour2.htm and http://mindprod.com/htmlcolours.html (amongst other places).

An example highlight range file is:

    # this is my set of ranges
    12   23         red
     4   5          darkturquoise
    67   10348      #FFE4E1

You can specifiy a file of ranges to annotate by giving the '-annotate' qualifier the value '@' followed by the name of the file containing the ranges. (eg: '-annotate @myfile').

The format of this file is very similar to the format of the above highlight range file, except that the text after the start and end positions is used as the displayed text of the annotated region.

An example annotation range file is:

    # this is my set of ranges
    12   23         exon 1
     4   5          CAP site
    67   10348      exon 2

You can specify a file of enzyme names to read in by giving the '-enzymes' qualifier the name of the file holding the enzyme names with a '@' character in front of it, for example, '@enz.list'.

Blank lines and lines starting with a '#' or '!' character are ignored and all other lines are concatenated together with a comma character ',' and then treated as the list of enzymes to search for.

An example of a file of enzyme names is:

    # my enzymes
    HincII, ppiI
    # other enzymes
    hindiii
    HinfI

## Output file format

Most of the variants of the output format have already been described in the 'Description' and 'Usage' sections, but here is some more just to fill out this section ;-)

The output format is extremely variable and under the control of the qualifiers used.

The sequence can be formatted for HTML display by using the '-html' qualifier. The top and tail html tags <HEAD>, <BODY> etc. are not included as it is expected that the output of this program will be included in a more extensive HTML page and so these parts are left to the user to provide.

The name of the sequence is displayed, followed by the description of the sequence. These can be turned off with the '-noname' and '-nodescription' qualifiers.

Then the sequence is output, one line at a time. Any associated information to be displayed is also output above and below the sequence line, as specified by the '-format' and or '-things' qualifiers. (See the 'Description' section for detals).

The margins around the sequence are specified by the use of the '-margin' qaulifier and any numbering of the sequence and its translations are placed in the margin.

A display of the restriction enzyme cut sites can be selected via '-format 6' option or the '-format 0 -thing b,r,s,-r' style of options.

The option '-format 7' will produce a formatted display of cut sites on the sequence, with the six-frame translation below it. The cut sites are indicated by a slash character '\' that points to the poition between the nucleotides where the cuts occur. Cuts by many enzymes at the same position are indicated by stacking the enzyme names on top of each other.

At the end the section header 'Enzymes that cut' is displayed followed by a list of the enzymes that cut the specified sequence and the number of times that they cut.

The '-flatreformat' qualifier changes the display to emphasise the recognition site of the restriction enzyme, which is indicated by a row of '=' characters. The cut site if pointed to by a '>' or '<' character and if the cut site is not within or imemdiately adjacent to the recognition site, they are linked by a row or '.' characters.

The name of the enzyme is displayed above (or below when the reverse sense site if displayed) the recognition site. The name of the enzyme is also displayed above the cut site if this occurs on a different display line to the recognition site (i.e. if it wraps onto the next line of sequence).

An example of this display follows:

    % showseq embl:eclac stdout -send 60 -format 7 -enz TaqI,Hin6I,AciI,Hin6I,BssKI,Bsu6
    Display a sequence with features, translation etc..
    ECLAC
    E.coli lactose operon with lacI, lacZ, lacY and lacA genes.

                                                          Hin6I
                     TaqI   Hin6I         AciI            | BssKI
                     \      \             \               \ \
              GACACCATCGAATGGCGCAAAACCTTTCGCGGTATGGCATGATAGCGCCCGGAAGAGAGT
                       10        20        30        40        50        60
              ----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|
              CTGTGGTAGCTTACCGCGTTTTGGAAAGCGCCATACCGTACTATCGCGGGCCTTCTCTCA
                       /      /             /               /    /
                       TaqI   Hin6I         AciI            |    BssKI
                                                            Hin6I

              D  T  I  E  W  R  K  T  F  R  G  M  A  *  *  R  P  E  E  S
               T  P  S  N  G  A  K  P  F  A  V  W  H  D  S  A  R  K  R  V
                H  H  R  M  A  Q  N  L  S  R  Y  G  M  I  A  P  G  R  E  S
              ----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|----:----|
               S  V  M  S  H  R  L  V  K  R  P  I  A  H  Y  R  G  S  S  L
              X  C  W  R  I  A  C  F  R  E  R  Y  P  M  I  A  G  P  L  S
                V  G  D  F  P  A  F  G  K  A  T  H  C  S  L  A  R  F  L  T

## Data files

EMBOSS data files are distributed with the application and stored in the standard EMBOSS data directory, which is defined by EMBOSS environment variable EMBOSS_DATA.

Users can provide their own data files in their own directories. Project specific files can be put in the current directory, or for tidier directory listings in a subdirectory called ".embossdata". Files for all EMBOSS runs can be put in the user's home directory, or again in a subdirectory called ".embossdata".

The directories are searched in the following order:

          . (your current directory)
          .embossdata (under your current directory)
          ~/ (your home directory)
          ~/.embossdata

The Genetic Code data files are based on the NCBI genetic code tables. Their names and descriptions are:

    EGC.0      Standard (Differs from GC.1 in that it only has initiation site 'AUG')
    EGC.1      Standard
    EGC.2      Vertebrate Mitochondrial
    EGC.3      Yeast Mitochondrial
    EGC.4      Mold, Protozoan, Coelenterate Mitochondrial and Mycoplasma/Spiroplasma
    EGC.5      Invertebrate Mitochondrial
    EGC.6      Ciliate Macronuclear and Dasycladacean
    EGC.9      Echinoderm Mitochondrial
    EGC.10     Euplotid Nuclear
    EGC.11     Bacterial
    EGC.12     Alternative Yeast Nuclear
    EGC.13     Ascidian Mitochondrial
    EGC.14     Flatworm Mitochondrial
    EGC.15     Blepharisma Macronuclear

The format of these files is very simple.

It consists of several lines of optional comments, each starting with a '#' character.

These are followed the line: 'Genetic Code [n]', where 'n' is the number of the genetic code file.

This is followed by the description of the code and then by four lines giving the IUPAC one-letter code of the translated amino acid, the start codons (indicdated by an 'M') and the three bases of the codon, lined up one on top of the other.

For example:

    # Genetic Code Table
    #
    # Obtained from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/collab/FT/genetic_codes.html
    # and: http://www3.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Taxonomy/wprintgc?mode=c
    #
    # Differs from Genetic Code [1] only in that the initiation sites have been
    # changed to only 'AUG'

    Genetic Code [0]
    Standard

    AAs  =   FFLLSSSSYY**CC*WLLLLPPPPHHQQRRRRIIIMTTTTNNKKSSRRVVVVAAAADDEEGGGG
    Starts = -----------------------------------M----------------------------
    Base1  = TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
    Base2  = TTTTCCCCAAAAGGGGTTTTCCCCAAAAGGGGTTTTCCCCAAAAGGGGTTTTCCCCAAAAGGGG
    Base3  = TCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAG

showseq uses the EMBOSS REBASE data files in 'data/REBASE/*' under the EMBOSS installation directory.

These files must first be set up using the program 'rebaseextract'. Running 'rebaseextract' may be the job of your system manager.

## Notes

None.

## References

None.

## Warnings

None.

## Diagnostic Error Messages

None.

## Exit status

It always exits with status 0.

## Known bugs

None known.

If you ask for the sequence display to end at position '100', with the qualifier '-send 100', it will display the sequence up to the end of the line - position '120'. This is a feature of this program to make the display of things like restriction enzyme cutting sites easier.

It is not a bug. Please don't report it.

## See also

Program name | Description
--- | ---
abiview | Reads ABI file and display the trace
backtranseq | Back translate a protein sequence
cirdna | Draws circular maps of DNA constructs
coderet | Extract CDS, mRNA and translations from feature tables
lindna | Draws linear maps of DNA constructs
pepnet | Displays proteins as a helical net
pepwheel | Shows protein sequences as helices
plotorf | Plot potential open reading frames
prettyplot | Displays aligned sequences, with colouring and boxing
prettyseq | Output sequence with translated ranges
recoder | Remove restriction sites but maintain the same translation
redata | Search REBASE for enzyme name, references, suppliers etc
remap | Display a sequence with restriction cut sites, translation etc
restover | Finds restriction enzymes that produce a specific overhang
restrict | Finds restriction enzyme cleavage sites
seealso | Finds programs sharing group names
showalign | Displays a multiple sequence alignment
showdb | Displays information on the currently available databases
showfeat | Show features of a sequence
showorf | Pretty output of DNA translations
silent | Silent mutation restriction enzyme scan
textsearch | Search sequence documentation text. SRS and Entrez are faster!
transeq | Translate nucleic acid sequences

## Author(s)

This application was written by Gary Williams (gwilliam@hgmp.mrc.ac.uk)

## History

Written 1999 - GWW
23 Aug 2000 - features display added - GWW
20 Nov 2001 - feature matches and annotation display added - GWW

## Target users

This program is intended to be used by everyone and everything, from naive users to embedded scripts.

## Comments