BioServices

Overview

BioServices is a Python package providing programmatic access to approximately 40 bioinformatics web services and databases. Retrieve biological data, perform cross-database queries, map identifiers, analyze sequences, and integrate multiple biological resources in Python workflows. The package handles both REST and SOAP/WSDL protocols transparently.

Version note: Examples target bioservices 1.16.0 (PyPI, Mar 2026). Requires Python 3.9–3.12. UniProt REST changes in mid-2022 (bioservices ≥1.10) mainly affect tabular columns names — see upstream _legacy_names if parsing breaks. ChEMBL wrappers changed at 1.6.0 (2018 API); use get_similarity, get_substructure, get_molecule instead of pre-1.6 method names.

When to Use This Skill

This skill should be used when:

Retrieving protein sequences, annotations, or structures from UniProt, PDB, Pfam
Analyzing metabolic pathways and gene functions via KEGG or Reactome
Searching compound databases (ChEBI, ChEMBL, PubChem) for chemical information
Converting identifiers between different biological databases (KEGG↔UniProt, compound IDs)
Running sequence similarity searches (BLAST, MUSCLE alignment)
Querying gene ontology terms (QuickGO, GO annotations)
Accessing protein-protein interaction data (PSICQUIC, IntactComplex)
Mining genomic data (BioMart, ArrayExpress, ENA)
Integrating data from multiple bioinformatics resources in a single workflow

Core Capabilities

1. Protein Analysis

Retrieve protein information, sequences, and functional annotations:

python

from bioservices import UniProt

u = UniProt(verbose=False)

# Search for protein by name
results = u.search("ZAP70_HUMAN", frmt="tab", columns="id,genes,organism")

# Retrieve FASTA sequence
sequence = u.retrieve("P43403", "fasta")

# Map identifiers between databases
kegg_ids = u.mapping(fr="UniProtKB_AC-ID", to="KEGG", query="P43403")

Key methods:

search(): Query UniProt with flexible search terms
retrieve(): Get protein entries in various formats (FASTA, XML, tab)
mapping(): Convert identifiers between databases

Reference: references/services_reference.md for complete UniProt API details.

2. Pathway Discovery and Analysis

Access KEGG pathway information for genes and organisms:

python

from bioservices import KEGG

k = KEGG()
k.organism = "hsa"  # Set to human

# Search for organisms
k.lookfor_organism("droso")  # Find Drosophila species

# Find pathways by name
k.lookfor_pathway("B cell")  # Returns matching pathway IDs

# Get pathways containing specific genes
pathways = k.get_pathway_by_gene("7535", "hsa")  # ZAP70 gene

# Retrieve and parse pathway data
data = k.get("hsa04660")
parsed = k.parse(data)

# Extract pathway interactions
interactions = k.parse_kgml_pathway("hsa04660")
relations = interactions['relations']  # Protein-protein interactions

# Convert to Simple Interaction Format
sif_data = k.pathway2sif("hsa04660")

Key methods:

lookfor_organism(), lookfor_pathway(): Search by name
get_pathway_by_gene(): Find pathways containing genes
parse_kgml_pathway(): Extract structured pathway data
pathway2sif(): Get protein interaction networks

Reference: references/workflow_patterns.md for complete pathway analysis workflows.

3. Compound Database Searches

Search and cross-reference compounds across multiple databases:

python

from bioservices import KEGG, UniChem

k = KEGG()

# Search compounds by name
results = k.find("compound", "Geldanamycin")  # Returns cpd:C11222

# Get compound information with database links
compound_info = k.get("cpd:C11222")  # Includes ChEBI links

# Cross-reference KEGG → ChEMBL using UniChem
u = UniChem()
chembl_id = u.get_compound_id_from_kegg("C11222")  # Returns CHEMBL278315

Common workflow:

Search compound by name in KEGG
Extract KEGG compound ID
Use UniChem for KEGG → ChEMBL mapping
ChEBI IDs are often provided in KEGG entries

Reference: references/identifier_mapping.md for complete cross-database mapping guide.

4. Sequence Analysis

Run BLAST searches and sequence alignments. NCBI requires a contact email — prefer the NCBI_EMAIL environment variable (same convention as BioPython Entrez and other repo skills):

python

import os
from bioservices import NCBIblast

s = NCBIblast(verbose=False)
email = os.environ["NCBI_EMAIL"]  # set before running: export [email protected]

# Run BLASTP against UniProtKB
jobid = s.run(
    program="blastp",
    sequence=protein_sequence,
    stype="protein",
    database="uniprotkb",
    email=email,
)

# Check job status and retrieve results
s.getStatus(jobid)
results = s.getResult(jobid, "out")

Note: BLAST jobs are asynchronous. Check status before retrieving results.

5. Identifier Mapping

Convert identifiers between different biological databases:

python

from bioservices import UniProt, KEGG

# UniProt mapping (many database pairs supported)
u = UniProt()
results = u.mapping(
    fr="UniProtKB_AC-ID",  # Source database
    to="KEGG",              # Target database
    query="P43403"          # Identifier(s) to convert
)

# KEGG gene ID → UniProt
kegg_to_uniprot = u.mapping(fr="KEGG", to="UniProtKB_AC-ID", query="hsa:7535")

# For compounds, use UniChem
from bioservices import UniChem
u = UniChem()
chembl_from_kegg = u.get_compound_id_from_kegg("C11222")

Supported mappings (UniProt):

UniProtKB ↔ KEGG
UniProtKB ↔ Ensembl
UniProtKB ↔ PDB
UniProtKB ↔ RefSeq
And many more (see references/identifier_mapping.md)

6. Gene Ontology Queries

Access GO terms and annotations:

python

from bioservices import QuickGO

g = QuickGO(verbose=False)

# Retrieve GO term information
term_info = g.Term("GO:0003824", frmt="obo")

# Search annotations
annotations = g.Annotation(protein="P43403", format="tsv")

7. Protein-Protein Interactions

Query interaction databases via PSICQUIC:

python

from bioservices import PSICQUIC

s = PSICQUIC(verbose=False)

# Query specific database (e.g., MINT)
interactions = s.query("mint", "ZAP70 AND species:9606")

# List available interaction databases
databases = s.activeDBs

Available databases: MINT, IntAct, BioGRID, DIP, and 30+ others.

Multi-Service Integration Workflows

BioServices excels at combining multiple services for comprehensive analysis. Common integration patterns:

Complete Protein Analysis Pipeline

Execute a full protein characterization workflow:

bash

export [email protected]
python scripts/protein_analysis_workflow.py ZAP70_HUMAN
# Or pass email as optional second argument if NCBI_EMAIL is unset
python scripts/protein_analysis_workflow.py ZAP70_HUMAN [email protected]

This script demonstrates:

UniProt search for protein entry
FASTA sequence retrieval
BLAST similarity search
KEGG pathway discovery
PSICQUIC interaction mapping

Pathway Network Analysis

Analyze all pathways for an organism:

bash

python scripts/pathway_analysis.py hsa output_directory/

Extracts and analyzes:

All pathway IDs for organism
Protein-protein interactions per pathway
Interaction type distributions
Exports to CSV/SIF formats

Cross-Database Compound Search

Map compound identifiers across databases:

bash

python scripts/compound_cross_reference.py Geldanamycin

Retrieves:

KEGG compound ID
ChEBI identifier
ChEMBL identifier
Basic compound properties

Batch Identifier Conversion

Convert multiple identifiers at once:

bash

python scripts/batch_id_converter.py input_ids.txt --from UniProtKB_AC-ID --to KEGG

Best Practices

Output Format Handling

Different services return data in various formats:

XML: Parse using BeautifulSoup (most SOAP services)
Tab-separated (TSV): Pandas DataFrames for tabular data
Dictionary/JSON: Direct Python manipulation
FASTA: BioPython integration for sequence analysis

Rate Limiting and Verbosity

Control API request behavior:

python

from bioservices import KEGG

k = KEGG(verbose=False)  # Suppress HTTP request details
k.TIMEOUT = 30  # Adjust timeout for slow connections

Error Handling

Wrap service calls in try-except blocks:

python

try:
    results = u.search("ambiguous_query")
    if results:
        # Process results
        pass
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Search failed: {e}")

Organism Codes

Use standard organism abbreviations:

hsa: Homo sapiens (human)
mmu: Mus musculus (mouse)
dme: Drosophila melanogaster
sce: Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast)

List all organisms: k.list("organism") or k.organismIds

Integration with Other Tools

BioServices works well with:

BioPython: Sequence analysis on retrieved FASTA data
Pandas: Tabular data manipulation
PyMOL: 3D structure visualization (retrieve PDB IDs)
NetworkX: Network analysis of pathway interactions
Galaxy: Custom tool wrappers for workflow platforms

Resources

scripts/

Executable Python scripts demonstrating complete workflows:

protein_analysis_workflow.py: End-to-end protein characterization
pathway_analysis.py: KEGG pathway discovery and network extraction
compound_cross_reference.py: Multi-database compound searching
batch_id_converter.py: Bulk identifier mapping utility

Scripts can be executed directly or adapted for specific use cases.

references/

Detailed documentation loaded as needed:

services_reference.md: Comprehensive list of all 40+ services with methods
workflow_patterns.md: Detailed multi-step analysis workflows
identifier_mapping.md: Complete guide to cross-database ID conversion

Load references when working with specific services or complex integration tasks.

Installation

bash

uv pip install "bioservices==1.16.0"

Dependencies are installed automatically. Upstream CI tests Python 3.9–3.12 (PyPI, docs).

Credentials

Most services need no API key. Exceptions:

Service	Requirement
NCBI BLAST	Contact email via `NCBI_EMAIL` or `email=` in `NCBIblast.run()`
Some EBI services	Optional; check service docs if rate-limited

Set once per shell session:

bash

export [email protected]

Use a real institutional or lab address — NCBI may contact you about heavy BLAST usage.

Additional Information

For detailed API documentation and advanced features, refer to:

Official documentation: https://bioservices.readthedocs.io/
Source code: https://github.com/cokelaer/bioservices
Service-specific references in references/services_reference.md