Unconfigured Ad

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • alexwong.carleton
    Junior Member
    • May 2013
    • 2

    indel calling problems with mpileup/bcftools

    Hello,

    I'm using samtools and bcftools to call snps from a targeted resequencing project. Nucleotide polymorphisms seem to be fine, but indels are proving to be a problem. I can see the indels in, say, samtools tview, with high coverage. However, my samtools/bcftools output find only a few reads at the relevant position.

    My commands (following local realignment) are:

    samtools mpileup -uf concatenated.fasta -L 1000000 -d 1000000 Ec_A10.realigned.bam >Ec_A10.mpileup
    bcftools view -bvc Ec_A10.mpileup >Ec_A10.var.raw.bcf
    bcftools view Ec_A10.var.raw.bcf >Ec_A10_name.vars.tsv

    The relevant line from the output is:

    #CHROM POS ID REF ALT QUAL FILTER INFO FORMAT Ec_A10.test
    concatenated 2000 . CATCCTCGATGT C 185 . INDEL;DP=9;VDB=0.0074;AF1=0.5;AC1=1;DP4=2,2,1,4;MQ=60;FQ=159;PV4=0.52,0.00017,1,1 PL 223,0,194

    So, what is strange is that the reported depth is 9 reads, but there are clearly many more - I've also attached a screen shot from tview. Any suggestions on how to clear this up?

    Thanks!
    Attached Files
  • abi
    Member
    • May 2013
    • 18

    #2
    The results are wrong sometimes

    More importantly , it even shows up wrong SNPs which otherwise is not a SNP as per the bam file loaded on IGV.


    0 4009334 . A C 125 . DP=5;VDB=3.277706e-02;RPB=-1.291774e+00;AF1=0.5;AC1=1;DP4=1,1,2,1;MQ=59;FQ=74;PV4=1,0,1,0.38 GT:PL:GQ 0/1:155,0,101:99
    0 4009336 . T A 17.1 . DP=5;VDB=6.080000e-02;RPB=1.291774e+00;AF1=0.5;AC1=1;DP4=2,1,1,1;MQ=59;FQ=20.1;PV4=1,1,0.14,1 GT:PL:GQ 0/1:47,0,154:50

    As above 4009334 is a SNP but not as per IGV picture below:
    Attached Files
    Last edited by abi; 05-21-2013, 10:59 AM.

    Comment

    • swbarnes2
      Senior Member
      • May 2008
      • 910

      #3
      Originally posted by alexwong.carleton View Post
      Hello,

      I'm using samtools and bcftools to call snps from a targeted resequencing project. Nucleotide polymorphisms seem to be fine, but indels are proving to be a problem. I can see the indels in, say, samtools tview, with high coverage. However, my samtools/bcftools output find only a few reads at the relevant position.

      My commands (following local realignment) are:

      samtools mpileup -uf concatenated.fasta -L 1000000 -d 1000000 Ec_A10.realigned.bam >Ec_A10.mpileup
      bcftools view -bvc Ec_A10.mpileup >Ec_A10.var.raw.bcf
      bcftools view Ec_A10.var.raw.bcf >Ec_A10_name.vars.tsv

      The relevant line from the output is:

      #CHROM POS ID REF ALT QUAL FILTER INFO FORMAT Ec_A10.test
      concatenated 2000 . CATCCTCGATGT C 185 . INDEL;DP=9;VDB=0.0074;AF1=0.5;AC1=1;DP4=2,2,1,4;MQ=60;FQ=159;PV4=0.52,0.00017,1,1 PL 223,0,194

      So, what is strange is that the reported depth is 9 reads, but there are clearly many more - I've also attached a screen shot from tview. Any suggestions on how to clear this up?

      Thanks!
      I only count 5 reads covering base 2000 in your picture.

      Why don't you try counting the fastq directly by grepping a little bit of sequence from each allele, or by adding the putative indel allele to your reference, and realigning?

      Comment

      • alexwong.carleton
        Junior Member
        • May 2013
        • 2

        #4
        swbarnes2 - Sorry, I should have made clear - the image captures only a small proportion of the reads covering the region. The mutation I'm looking for is an 11-bp deletion.

        I'll try out both of your suggestions - thanks! I should think that one or both should work, although ideally it would be nice to not have to have solutions tailored for specific mutations.

        Comment

        Latest Articles

        Collapse

        • SEQadmin2
          Nine Things a Sample Prep Scientist Thinks About Before Sequencing
          by SEQadmin2


          I’m not a sequencing expert. I’m a purification scientist who uses NGS to evaluate workflows my group develops. With this perspective, we think about the sample first and the NGS workflow second. The sequencer is an exceptionally honest reporter, but it can only report on what you give it, so whether you get clean, interpretable data from an NGS workflow is largely determined before you begin.


          Here are nine questions we think about, in roughly the order they matter, before...
          Yesterday, 07:11 AM
        • SEQadmin2
          From Collection to Sequencing: Why Sample Preparation and Preservation Define Sequencing Data
          by SEQadmin2


          Data variability is still an issue in sequencing technologies despite the advances in reproducibility and accuracy of these platforms. But the problem does not originate in the sequencing itself, but in the previous steps, before the sample reaches the sequencer.


          The first step is collection, followed by preservation and sample preparation for analysis. Most scientists overlook those steps, but not being careful might just be skewing the experiment’s results.
          ...
          06-02-2026, 10:05 AM
        • SEQadmin2
          Single-Cell Sequencing at an Inflection Point: Early Impacts of New Platforms and Emerging Trends
          by SEQadmin2


          With the launch of new single-cell sequencing platforms in 2026, the field stands at an exciting inflection point. This article surveys the most impactful advances in the field and discusses how they’re reshaping research in cancer, immunology, and beyond.


          Introduction

          Single-cell sequencing technologies have undergone remarkable advances over the past decade, transitioning from low-throughput experimental approaches to highly scalable platforms capable of...
          05-22-2026, 06:42 AM

        ad_right_rmr

        Collapse

        News

        Collapse

        Topics Statistics Last Post
        Started by SEQadmin2, 06-17-2026, 06:09 AM
        0 responses
        16 views
        0 reactions
        Last Post SEQadmin2  
        Started by SEQadmin2, 06-09-2026, 11:58 AM
        0 responses
        38 views
        0 reactions
        Last Post SEQadmin2  
        Started by SEQadmin2, 06-05-2026, 10:09 AM
        0 responses
        43 views
        0 reactions
        Last Post SEQadmin2  
        Started by SEQadmin2, 06-04-2026, 08:59 AM
        0 responses
        49 views
        0 reactions
        Last Post SEQadmin2  
        Working...