bio-variant-calling-structural-variant-calling
Call structural variants (SVs) from short-read sequencing using Manta, Delly, and LUMPY. Detects deletions, insertions, inversions, duplications, and translocations that are too large for standard SNV callers. Use when detecting structural variants from short-read data.
Best use case
bio-variant-calling-structural-variant-calling is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
Call structural variants (SVs) from short-read sequencing using Manta, Delly, and LUMPY. Detects deletions, insertions, inversions, duplications, and translocations that are too large for standard SNV callers. Use when detecting structural variants from short-read data.
Teams using bio-variant-calling-structural-variant-calling should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.
When to use this skill
- You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.
When not to use this skill
- You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
- You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.
Installation
Claude Code / Cursor / Codex
Manual Installation
- Download SKILL.md from GitHub
- Place it in
.claude/skills/bio-variant-calling-structural-variant-calling/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How bio-variant-calling-structural-variant-calling Compares
| Feature / Agent | bio-variant-calling-structural-variant-calling | Standard Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Support | Not specified | Limited / Varies |
| Context Awareness | High | Baseline |
| Installation Complexity | Unknown | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this skill do?
Call structural variants (SVs) from short-read sequencing using Manta, Delly, and LUMPY. Detects deletions, insertions, inversions, duplications, and translocations that are too large for standard SNV callers. Use when detecting structural variants from short-read data.
Where can I find the source code?
You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.
SKILL.md Source
## Version Compatibility
Reference examples tested with: bcftools 1.19+, samtools 1.19+
Before using code patterns, verify installed versions match. If versions differ:
- CLI: `<tool> --version` then `<tool> --help` to confirm flags
If code throws ImportError, AttributeError, or TypeError, introspect the installed
package and adapt the example to match the actual API rather than retrying.
# Structural Variant Calling (Short Reads)
**"Call structural variants from my WGS data"** → Detect large genomic rearrangements (deletions, insertions, inversions, duplications, translocations) using split-read and discordant-pair evidence.
- CLI: `configManta.py` (Manta), `delly call`, `lumpyexpress`/`smoove call`
## Manta (Recommended)
```bash
# Configure Manta run (creates runWorkflow.py)
configManta.py \
--bam sample.bam \
--referenceFasta reference.fa \
--runDir manta_run
# Execute
manta_run/runWorkflow.py -j 8
# Output: manta_run/results/variants/
# - diploidSV.vcf.gz (germline SVs)
# - candidateSV.vcf.gz (all candidates)
# - candidateSmallIndels.vcf.gz (small indels)
```
## Manta Tumor-Normal Mode
```bash
# Somatic SV calling
configManta.py \
--tumorBam tumor.bam \
--normalBam normal.bam \
--referenceFasta reference.fa \
--runDir manta_somatic
manta_somatic/runWorkflow.py -j 8
# Output includes:
# - somaticSV.vcf.gz (somatic SVs)
# - diploidSV.vcf.gz (germline SVs)
```
## Manta Options
```bash
# WES mode (for exome data)
configManta.py \
--bam sample.bam \
--referenceFasta reference.fa \
--exome \ # Use exome settings
--callRegions regions.bed.gz \ # Restrict to regions
--runDir manta_exome
# RNA-seq mode
configManta.py \
--bam rnaseq.bam \
--referenceFasta reference.fa \
--rna \ # RNA-seq mode
--runDir manta_rna
```
## Delly
```bash
# Call SVs
delly call \
-g reference.fa \
-o sv_calls.bcf \
sample.bam
# Convert to VCF
bcftools view sv_calls.bcf > sv_calls.vcf
# Multiple samples (joint calling)
delly call \
-g reference.fa \
-o joint_svs.bcf \
sample1.bam sample2.bam sample3.bam
```
## Delly Somatic Mode
```bash
# Call with tumor-normal
delly call \
-g reference.fa \
-o svs.bcf \
tumor.bam normal.bam
# Create sample file
echo -e "tumor\ttumor\nnormal\tcontrol" > samples.tsv
# Filter for somatic
delly filter \
-f somatic \
-o somatic_svs.bcf \
-s samples.tsv \
svs.bcf
```
## Delly SV Types
```bash
# Call specific SV type
delly call -t DEL -g ref.fa -o deletions.bcf sample.bam
delly call -t DUP -g ref.fa -o duplications.bcf sample.bam
delly call -t INV -g ref.fa -o inversions.bcf sample.bam
delly call -t BND -g ref.fa -o translocations.bcf sample.bam
delly call -t INS -g ref.fa -o insertions.bcf sample.bam
```
## LUMPY
```bash
# Extract split reads and discordant pairs
samtools view -b -F 1294 sample.bam > discordant.bam
samtools view -h sample.bam | \
/path/to/lumpy-sv/scripts/extractSplitReads_BwaMem -i stdin | \
samtools view -Sb - > splitters.bam
# Run LUMPY
lumpyexpress \
-B sample.bam \
-S splitters.bam \
-D discordant.bam \
-o lumpy_svs.vcf
```
## Smoove (LUMPY Wrapper)
```bash
# Simplified LUMPY workflow
smoove call \
--name sample \
--fasta reference.fa \
--outdir smoove_output \
-p 8 \
sample.bam
# Output: smoove_output/sample-smoove.genotyped.vcf.gz
```
## Merge Multiple Callers
**Goal:** Increase confidence in SV calls by requiring support from multiple callers.
**Approach:** Run 2-3 callers independently, then merge callsets with SURVIVOR requiring agreement on breakpoint proximity and SV type.
```bash
# Use SURVIVOR to merge callsets
# Create file listing VCFs
ls manta_svs.vcf delly_svs.vcf lumpy_svs.vcf > vcf_list.txt
# Merge with parameters
SURVIVOR merge vcf_list.txt 1000 2 1 1 0 50 merged_svs.vcf
# Parameters: max_dist min_callers type_agree strand_agree estimate_dist min_size
```
## Filter SV Calls
```bash
# Filter by quality
bcftools view -i 'QUAL >= 20' svs.vcf > svs.filtered.vcf
# Filter by size
bcftools view -i 'ABS(SVLEN) >= 50' svs.vcf > svs.min50.vcf
# Filter by SV type
bcftools view -i 'SVTYPE="DEL"' svs.vcf > deletions.vcf
bcftools view -i 'SVTYPE="INS"' svs.vcf > insertions.vcf
bcftools view -i 'SVTYPE="INV"' svs.vcf > inversions.vcf
bcftools view -i 'SVTYPE="DUP"' svs.vcf > duplications.vcf
bcftools view -i 'SVTYPE="BND"' svs.vcf > translocations.vcf
# Keep only PASS
bcftools view -f PASS svs.vcf > svs.pass.vcf
```
## Annotate SVs
```bash
# AnnotSV annotation
AnnotSV \
-SVinputFile svs.vcf \
-genomeBuild GRCh38 \
-outputFile annotated_svs
# Output includes: genes, DGV, gnomAD-SV, ClinVar
```
## SV Types
| Type | Code | Description |
|------|------|-------------|
| Deletion | DEL | Sequence removed |
| Insertion | INS | Sequence inserted |
| Inversion | INV | Sequence reversed |
| Duplication | DUP | Sequence duplicated |
| Translocation | BND | Breakend (inter-chromosomal) |
## Comparison: Manta vs Delly vs LUMPY
| Feature | Manta | Delly | LUMPY |
|---------|-------|-------|-------|
| Speed | Fast | Medium | Medium |
| Sensitivity | High | High | High |
| Small SVs | Good | Moderate | Good |
| Large SVs | Good | Good | Good |
| RNA-seq | Yes | No | No |
| Somatic | Yes | Yes | Limited |
## Coverage Guidelines
| Coverage | Detection Ability |
|----------|-------------------|
| 10x | Large SVs (>1kb) |
| 30x | Most SVs |
| 50x+ | Small SVs, better breakpoints |
## Long-Read SV Callers
For long-read data (ONT/PacBio HiFi), use specialized callers with higher sensitivity:
| Caller | Best For | Notes |
|--------|----------|-------|
| CuteSV | ONT/HiFi | Fast, accurate for all SV types |
| Sniffles2 | ONT/HiFi | Population-scale, multisample |
| PBSV | PacBio | Official PacBio caller |
See **long-read-sequencing/structural-variants** for long-read SV workflows.
## Related Skills
- long-read-sequencing/structural-variants - Long-read SV calling
- copy-number/cnvkit-analysis - Copy number variants
- variant-calling/filtering-best-practices - Filter VCF files
- alignment-files/alignment-filtering - Prepare BAM filesRelated Skills
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