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Organism, taxonomy and microbiome queries: parameters and notes

See the tutorial for usage and examples.

Each function includes its purpose, API, inputs, outputs, example code and result description. Prepare any required credentials, local files and optional dependencies; remote results vary with database releases and query time.

Retrieve Drosophila gene details

dnakit.databases.fly_base_get_gene(*, gene_id, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
gene_id string Required FlyBase gene ID with 'FB:' prefix. Examples: 'FB:FBgn0003996' (white/w), 'FB:FBgn0000490' (decapentaplegic/dpp), 'FB:FBgn0004647' (Notch/N), 'FB:FBgn0000546' (eyeless/ey), 'FB:FBgn0003731' (hedgehog/hh).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve Drosophila gene alleles and phenotypes

dnakit.databases.fly_base_get_gene_alleles(*, gene_id, limit=None, page=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
gene_id string Required FlyBase gene ID with 'FB:' prefix. Examples: 'FB:FBgn0003996' (white/w), 'FB:FBgn0000490' (dpp), 'FB:FBgn0004647' (Notch/N).
limit integer None Maximum number of alleles to return (1-100). Default: 20.
page integer None Page number for pagination. Default: 1.
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve Drosophila gene disease models

dnakit.databases.fly_base_get_gene_disease_models(*, gene_id, limit=None, page=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
gene_id string Required FlyBase gene ID with 'FB:' prefix. Examples: 'FB:FBgn0000490' (dpp), 'FB:FBgn0004647' (Notch/N), 'FB:FBgn0003996' (white/w).
limit integer None Maximum number of disease models to return (1-100). Default: 20.
page integer None Page number for pagination. Default: 1.
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve Drosophila developmental and anatomical expression

dnakit.databases.fly_base_get_gene_expression(*, gene_id, limit=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
gene_id string Required FlyBase gene ID, with or without the 'FB:' prefix. Examples: 'FB:FBgn0000490' (dpp), 'FB:FBgn0003996' (white/w), 'FB:FBgn0004647' (Notch/N).
limit integer None Max annotations to return (default 50, max 100).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve Drosophila molecular and genetic interactions

dnakit.databases.fly_base_get_gene_interactions(*, gene_id, interaction_type=None, limit=None, page=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
gene_id string Required FlyBase gene ID with 'FB:' prefix. Examples: 'FB:FBgn0003996' (white/w), 'FB:FBgn0000490' (dpp), 'FB:FBgn0004647' (Notch/N).
interaction_type string None Type of interaction: 'molecular' (physical PPI) or 'genetic' (phenotype-based). Default: 'molecular'.
limit integer None Maximum number of interactions to return (1-100). Default: 20.
page integer None Page number for pagination. Default: 1.
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve cross-species orthologs of a Drosophila gene

dnakit.databases.fly_base_get_gene_orthologs(*, gene_id, limit=None, page=None, stringency=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
gene_id string Required FlyBase gene ID with 'FB:' prefix. Examples: 'FB:FBgn0004647' (Notch/N), 'FB:FBgn0003996' (white/w), 'FB:FBgn0000546' (eyeless/ey).
limit integer None Maximum number of orthologs to return (1-100). Default: 20.
page integer None Page number for pagination. Default: 1.
stringency string None Stringency filter for orthology calls: 'stringent' (high confidence) or 'moderate'. Default: 'stringent'.
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Search integrated Drosophila genomics records

dnakit.databases.fly_mine_search(*, q, size=None, format=None, facet_Category=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
q string Required Search query: gene symbol (e.g., 'dpp', 'Notch', 'hedgehog'), protein name, domain name, or free text.
size integer None Number of results to return (default: 10, max: 100).
format string None Response format. Must be 'json'.
facet_Category string None Filter by entity category. Options: 'Gene', 'Protein', 'Publication', 'ProteinDomain', 'CDNAClone', 'GOTerm', 'InteractionExperiment', 'RNAiScreen', 'UniProtFeature'.
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve GBIF species details by taxon key

dnakit.databases.gbif_get_species(*, speciesKey, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
speciesKey integer Required GBIF species/taxon key. Examples: 2435099 (Puma concolor / puma), 2878688 (Quercus robur / English oak), 5219404 (Canis lupus / wolf), 2480528 (Homo sapiens), 2495662 (Aquila chrysaetos / golden eagle). Use GBIF_search_species to find keys.
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Search GBIF species names and taxonomy

dnakit.databases.gbif_search_species(*, query, limit=None, offset=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
query string Required Query keyword, e.g., Homo
limit integer None Maximum results for the current request, not a database-wide total.
offset integer None Pagination offset within the current query.
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve GTDB species clusters and their genomes

dnakit.databases.gtdb_get_species(*, operation=None, species, max_genomes=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
operation string None Operation type (fixed: get_species)
species string Required Species name WITHOUT the s__ prefix (e.g., 'Escherichia coli', 'Hydrogenothermus marinus', 'Bacillus subtilis')
max_genomes integer None Maximum number of genomes to return (default: 20). Species clusters can have thousands of genomes.
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve GTDB taxonomy and release history

dnakit.databases.gtdb_get_taxon_info(*, operation=None, taxon, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
operation string None Operation type (fixed: get_taxon_info)
taxon string Required GTDB taxon name with rank prefix (e.g., 'f__Lachnospiraceae', 'd__Bacteria', 'g__Escherichia', 's__Escherichia coli'). Use GTDB_search_taxon to find valid names.
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Search prokaryotic genomes by organism name

dnakit.databases.gtdb_search_genomes(*, operation=None, query, page=None, items_per_page=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
operation string None Operation type (fixed: search_genomes)
query string Required Search query for organism name (e.g., 'Escherichia', 'Staphylococcus aureus', 'Lactobacillus')
page integer None Page number for pagination (default: 1)
items_per_page integer None Number of results per page (default: 10, max: 50)
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Search prokaryotic taxa by partial name

dnakit.databases.gtdb_search_taxon(*, operation=None, query, limit=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
operation string None Operation type (fixed: search_taxon)
query string Required Partial taxon name to search for (e.g., 'Lachnospiraceae', 'Escherichia', 'Bacillota'). Case-insensitive.
limit integer None Maximum number of results per rank (default: 20, max: 100)
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve mouse gene details by MGI identifier

dnakit.databases.mgi_get_gene(*, gene_id, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
gene_id string Required MGI gene identifier with 'MGI:' prefix. Examples: 'MGI:98834' (Trp53/p53), 'MGI:104537' (Brca1), 'MGI:96677' (Kit), 'MGI:88039' (Apoe), 'MGI:88276' (Braf).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve mouse gene mutant phenotype annotations

dnakit.databases.mgi_get_phenotypes(*, gene_id, limit=None, page=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
gene_id string Required MGI gene identifier with 'MGI:' prefix. Examples: 'MGI:98834' (Trp53), 'MGI:104537' (Brca1), 'MGI:96677' (Kit).
limit integer None Number of phenotype annotations to return per page (default: 20, max: 100).
page integer None Page number for pagination (default: 1).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Search mouse genes by name or keyword

dnakit.databases.mgi_search_genes(*, query, limit=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
query string Required Gene search query: mouse gene symbol (e.g., 'Trp53', 'Brca1', 'Sox9'), gene name keyword (e.g., 'insulin', 'tumor'), or MGI ID (e.g., 'MGI:98834').
limit integer None Maximum number of results to return (default: 10, max: 50).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve microbial genome quality and taxonomy

dnakit.databases.mgnify_get_genome(*, genome_id, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
genome_id string Required MGnify genome accession. Examples: 'MGYG000000001', 'MGYG000535630'.
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve GO annotations from a metagenomics analysis

dnakit.databases.mgnify_get_go_terms(*, analysis_id, page_size=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
analysis_id string Required MGnify analysis accession (e.g., 'MGYA00585482'). Find IDs via MGnify_list_analyses.
page_size integer None Number of GO terms to return per page (default 25, max 100).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve metagenomic protein domain annotations

dnakit.databases.mgnify_get_interpro(*, analysis_id, page_size=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
analysis_id string Required MGnify analysis accession (e.g., 'MGYA00585482'). Find IDs via MGnify_list_analyses.
page_size integer None Number of InterPro entries to return per page (default 25, max 100).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve MGnify metagenomics study details

dnakit.databases.mgnify_get_study_detail(*, study_accession, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
study_accession string Required MGnify study accession. Examples: 'MGYS00002008', 'MGYS00005292'.
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve metagenomic taxonomic composition and abundance

dnakit.databases.mgnify_get_taxonomy(*, analysis_id, rna_type=None, page_size=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
analysis_id string Required MGnify analysis accession (e.g., 'MGYA00585482'). Find IDs via MGnify_list_analyses.
rna_type string None rRNA marker type: 'ssu' for 16S/18S (default) or 'lsu' for 23S/28S.
page_size integer None Number of taxa to return per page (default 25, max 100).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

List analyses belonging to a metagenomics study

dnakit.databases.mgnify_list_analyses(*, study_accession, size=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
study_accession string Required MGnify study accession, e.g., 'MGYS00000001'
size integer None Limit for the returned page; does not automatically retrieve later pages.
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Browse the metagenomics biome hierarchy

dnakit.databases.mgnify_list_biomes(*, depth=None, page=None, page_size=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
depth integer None Hierarchy depth to filter by (1=root, 2=second level, etc.).
page integer None Page number (default 1).
page_size integer None Results per page (default 25, max 100).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Search metagenome-assembled and isolate genomes

dnakit.databases.mgnify_search_genomes(*, taxonomy=None, page=None, page_size=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
taxonomy string None GTDB taxonomy lineage filter, matched anywhere in the lineage. Examples: 'Bacteroidota' (phylum), 'Bacteroides' (genus), 'Bacillota', 'Pseudomonadota'. NCBI-style phylum names such as 'Bacteroidetes' or 'Firmicutes' return few or no hits -- use the GTDB spelling.
page integer None Page number (default 1).
page_size integer None Results per page (default 25, max 100).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Search metagenomics studies by biome and keyword

dnakit.databases.mgnify_search_studies(*, biome=None, search=None, size=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
biome string None Biome lineage identifier, e.g., 'root:Host-associated' or 'root:Host-associated:Human:Digestive system'
search string None Keyword to search in study title/description
size integer None Limit for the returned page; does not automatically retrieve later pages.
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Search global plant names and taxonomy

dnakit.databases.powo_search_plants(*, q, f=None, perPage=None, cursor=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
q string Required Search query. Can be scientific name, common name, genus, or family. Examples: 'rosa canina', 'orchid', 'Asteraceae', 'oak'
f string | null None Filter facets (comma-separated). Common filters: 'species_f:true' (species only), 'accepted_names:true' (only accepted names). Example: 'species_f:true'
perPage integer | null None Results per page (default 24, max 500)
cursor string | null None Pagination cursor from previous response
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve rat gene disease, phenotype and functional annotations

dnakit.databases.rgd_get_annotations(*, rgd_id, aspect=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
rgd_id string Required RGD gene ID (e.g., '2218' for Brca1)
aspect string None Filter by annotation type: 'D' (Disease), 'P' (Pathway), 'W' (Phenotype), 'F' (Function), 'C' (Component), 'E' (Expression). Leave empty for all.
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve rat gene details by RGD identifier

dnakit.databases.rgd_get_gene(*, rgd_id, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
rgd_id string Required RGD gene ID (numeric, e.g., '2218' for Brca1). Can include 'RGD:' prefix.
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve cross-species orthologs of a rat gene

dnakit.databases.rgd_get_orthologs(*, rgd_id, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
rgd_id string Required RGD gene ID (e.g., '2218' for Brca1)
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve rat QTLs overlapping a genomic interval

dnakit.databases.rgd_get_qtls_in_region(*, chromosome, start, stop, map_key, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
chromosome string Required Chromosome name, e.g. '10' or 'chr10'.
start integer Required Region start coordinate (1-based).
stop integer Required Region stop coordinate.
map_key integer Required Assembly map key. 360=rat rn7/GRCr8, 372=rat mRatBN7.2, 38=human GRCh38, 17=human GRCh37, 35=mouse GRCm39, 18=mouse GRCm38.
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve rat strain details by strain symbol

dnakit.databases.rgd_get_strain(*, symbol, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
symbol string Required Exact rat strain symbol (case-insensitive), e.g. 'SHR' (spontaneously hypertensive rat), 'BN' (Brown Norway), 'SS' (Dahl salt-sensitive).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve rat strain disease and phenotype annotations

dnakit.databases.rgd_get_strain_annotations(*, symbol, category=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
symbol string Required Exact rat strain symbol (case-insensitive), e.g. 'SHR', 'BN', 'SS'.
category string | null None Optional annotation category filter: 'disease', 'phenotype', 'strain', 'pathway', etc. Omit to return all categories.
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Search RGD genes by name or keyword

dnakit.databases.rgd_search_genes(*, query, species=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
query string Required Gene symbol or keyword (e.g., 'Brca1', 'Tp53', 'insulin')
species string None Species to search: 'rat' (default), 'human', 'mouse'
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Search rat strains by keyword and type

dnakit.databases.rgd_search_strains(*, query=None, strain_type=None, limit=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
query string | null None Keyword to match against strain symbol, name, genetics, and description (case-insensitive substring). Example: 'hypertensive' or 'Dahl'.
strain_type string | null None Filter by strain type, e.g. 'inbred', 'congenic', 'transgenic', 'recombinant_inbred', 'consomic'.
limit integer | null None Maximum number of strains to return (default 25, max 200).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve yeast gene and locus overviews

dnakit.databases.sgd_get_gene(*, sgd_id, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
sgd_id string Required SGD locus identifier. Examples: 'S000000259' (GAL4), 'S000003219' (RMR1), 'S000005564' (ACT1).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve yeast gene GO annotations and evidence

dnakit.databases.sgd_get_go_annotations(*, sgd_id, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
sgd_id string Required SGD locus identifier. Examples: 'S000003219' (RMR1), 'S000005564' (ACT1), 'S000000259' (GAL4).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve yeast genetic and physical interactions

dnakit.databases.sgd_get_interactions(*, sgd_id, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
sgd_id string Required SGD locus identifier. Examples: 'S000003219' (RMR1), 'S000005564' (ACT1), 'S000000259' (GAL4).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve yeast mutant phenotypes and experimental conditions

dnakit.databases.sgd_get_phenotypes(*, sgd_id, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
sgd_id string Required SGD locus identifier. Examples: 'S000003219' (RMR1), 'S000000259' (GAL4), 'S000005564' (ACT1).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Search the yeast database across data types

dnakit.databases.sgd_search(*, query, category=None, limit=None, offset=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
query string Required Search query string. Examples: 'GAL4', 'cell cycle', 'sporulation'.
category string None Filter by category. Options: 'locus', 'reference', 'biological_process', 'molecular_function', 'cellular_component', 'phenotype', 'disease', 'allele', 'complex', 'pathway', 'chemical', 'strain', 'download'.
limit integer None Maximum results to return (default 10, max 50).
offset integer None Pagination offset (default 0).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve plant morphology, growth and reproduction characteristics

dnakit.databases.usda_plants_get_characteristics(*, symbol, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
symbol string Required USDA PLANTS symbol, e.g. 'ABBA', 'ACRU'.
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve plant names, taxonomy and growth habits

dnakit.databases.usda_plants_get_profile(*, symbol, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
symbol string Required USDA PLANTS symbol, e.g. 'ABBA' (balsam fir), 'ACRU' (red maple), 'QUAL' (white oak).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve nematode tissue and developmental expression

dnakit.databases.worm_base_get_expression(*, gene_id, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
gene_id string Required WormBase gene identifier. Examples: 'WBGene00006763' (unc-26), 'WBGene00000898' (daf-2).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve C. elegans gene details

dnakit.databases.worm_base_get_gene(*, gene_id, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
gene_id string Required WormBase gene identifier (WBGene format). Examples: 'WBGene00006763' (unc-26), 'WBGene00006789' (unc-52), 'WBGene00000898' (daf-2).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve experimentally observed nematode gene phenotypes

dnakit.databases.worm_base_get_phenotypes(*, gene_id, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
gene_id string Required WormBase gene identifier. Examples: 'WBGene00006763' (unc-26), 'WBGene00000898' (daf-2).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve Xenopus gene details and cross-references

dnakit.databases.xenbase_get_gene(*, gene_id, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
gene_id string Required Xenbase gene ID. Can be with or without 'Xenbase:' prefix. Examples: 'XB-GENE-484286' (tp53, X. tropicalis), 'XB-GENE-6252168' (tp53.L, X. laevis), 'XB-GENE-487192' (pax6, X. tropicalis).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Search genes in Xenopus tropicalis and Xenopus laevis

dnakit.databases.xenbase_search_genes(*, query, species=None, limit=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
query string Required Gene symbol or name to search. Examples: 'tp53', 'pax6', 'sox2', 'bmp4', 'wnt3a', 'fgf8'.
species string None Optional species filter: 'tropicalis' for X. tropicalis, 'laevis' for X. laevis. Leave empty for both species.
limit integer None Maximum number of results to return. Default: 10.
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve zebrafish gene details

dnakit.databases.zfin_get_gene(*, gene_id, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
gene_id string Required ZFIN gene ID with 'ZFIN:' prefix. Examples: 'ZFIN:ZDB-GENE-990415-8' (pax2a), 'ZFIN:ZDB-GENE-980526-166' (shha/sonic hedgehog a), 'ZFIN:ZDB-GENE-990415-72' (tp53/tumor protein p53), 'ZFIN:ZDB-GENE-030131-7740' (bmp4/bone morphogenetic protein 4).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve zebrafish developmental and anatomical expression

dnakit.databases.zfin_get_gene_expression(*, gene_id, limit=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
gene_id string Required ZFIN gene ID, with or without the 'ZFIN:' prefix. Examples: 'ZFIN:ZDB-GENE-990415-8' (pax2a), 'ZFIN:ZDB-GENE-980526-166' (shha), 'ZFIN:ZDB-GENE-990415-72' (tp53).
limit integer None Max annotations to return (default 50, max 100).
verbose bool True Progress flag.

Retrieve zebrafish gene mutant phenotypes

dnakit.databases.zfin_get_gene_phenotypes(*, gene_id, limit=None, page=None, verbose=True)

Parameter Type Required / default Description and constraints
gene_id string Required ZFIN gene ID with 'ZFIN:' prefix. Examples: 'ZFIN:ZDB-GENE-990415-8' (pax2a), 'ZFIN:ZDB-GENE-990415-72' (tp53), 'ZFIN:ZDB-GENE-980526-166' (shha).
limit integer None Maximum number of phenotypes to return (1-100). Default: 20.
page integer None Page number for pagination. Default: 1.
verbose bool True Progress flag.