重叠正则表达式匹配

Question

我试图创建下面的正则表达式：返回之间的字符串AUG和（UAG或UGA或UAA）从下列字符串RNA：
AGCCAUGUAGCUAACUCAGGUUACAUGGGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCCUGAAUGAUCCGAGUAGCAUCUCAG，让所有的比赛会被发现，包括重叠的。

我尝试了几种正则表达式，最后得到了类似的结果：

matches = re.findall('(?=AUG)(\w+)(?=UAG|UGA|UAA)',"AGCCAUGUAGCUAACUCAGGUUACAUGGGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCCUGAAUGAUCCGAGUAGCAUCUCAG")

您能告诉我我的正则表达式模式中的错误吗？

Answer 1

用一个正则表达式执行此操作实际上是非常困难的，因为大多数用法 都不 希望重叠匹配。但是，您可以通过一些简单的迭代来做到这一点：

regex = re.compile('(?=AUG)(\w+)(?=UAG|UGA|UAA)');
RNA = 'AGCCAUGUAGCUAACUCAGGUUACAUGGGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCCUGAAUGAUCCGAGUAGCAUCUCAG'
matches = []
tmp = RNA
while (match = regex.search(tmp)):
    matches.append(match)
    tmp = tmp[match.start()-2:]  #Back up two to get the UG portion.  Shouldn't matter, but safer.

for m in matches:
    print m.group(0)

虽然，这有一些问题。您希望得到的回报是AUGUAGUGAUAA什么？是否有两个字符串要返回？还是一个？目前，您的正则表达式甚至无法捕获UAG，因为它会一直匹配UAGUGA并被截断UAA。为了解决这个问题，您可能希望使用?运算符使您的运算符变得很懒惰-
这种方法随后将无法捕获更长的子字符串。

也许对字符串进行两次迭代是答案，但是如果您的RNA序列包含该AUGAUGUAGUGAUAA怎么办？那里的正确行为是什么？

通过遍历字符串及其子字符串，我可能更喜欢无正则表达式的方法：

RNA = 'AGCCAUGUAGCUAACUCAGGUUACAUGGGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCCUGAAUGAUCCGAGUAGCAUCUCAG'
candidates = []
start = 0

while (RNA.find('AUG', start) > -1):
    start = RNA.find('AUG', start) #Confound python and its lack of assignment returns
    candidates.append(RNA[start+3:])
    start += 1

matches = []

for candidate in candidates:
    for terminator in ['UAG', 'UGA', 'UAA']:
        end = 1;
        while(candidate.find(terminator, end) > -1):
            end = candidate.find(terminator, end)
            matches.append(candidate[:end])
            end += 1

for match in matches:
    print match

这样，无论如何，您都可以确保获得所有匹配项。

如果需要跟踪每个比赛的位置，则可以修改候选数据结构以使用元组来保持起始位置：

RNA = 'AGCCAUGUAGCUAACUCAGGUUACAUGGGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCCUGAAUGAUCCGAGUAGCAUCUCAG'
candidates = []
start = 0

while (RNA.find('AUG', start) > -1):
    start = RNA.find('AUG', start) #Confound python and its lack of assignment returns
    candidates.append((RNA[start+3:], start+3))
    start += 1

matches = []

for candidate in candidates:
    for terminator in ['UAG', 'UGA', 'UAA']:
        end = 1;
        while(candidate[0].find(terminator, end) > -1):
            end = candidate[0].find(terminator, end)
            matches.append((candidate[1], candidate[1] + end, candidate[0][:end]))
            end += 1

for match in matches:
    print "%d - %d: %s" % match

打印：

7 - 49: UAGCUAACUCAGGUUACAUGGGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAU
7 - 85: UAGCUAACUCAGGUUACAUGGGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCCUGAAUGAUCCGAG
7 - 31: UAGCUAACUCAGGUUACAUGGGGA
7 - 72: UAGCUAACUCAGGUUACAUGGGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCC
7 - 76: UAGCUAACUCAGGUUACAUGGGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCCUGAA
7 - 11: UAGC
7 - 66: UAGCUAACUCAGGUUACAUGGGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAA
27 - 49: GGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAU
27 - 85: GGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCCUGAAUGAUCCGAG
27 - 31: GGGA
27 - 72: GGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCC
27 - 76: GGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCCUGAA
27 - 66: GGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAA
33 - 49: ACCCCGCGACUUGGAU
33 - 85: ACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCCUGAAUGAUCCGAG
33 - 72: ACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCC
33 - 76: ACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCCUGAA
33 - 66: ACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAA
78 - 85: AUCCGAG

地狱，再加上三行，您甚至可以根据匹配在RNA序列中的位置对它们进行排序：

from operator import itemgetter
matches.sort(key=itemgetter(1))
matches.sort(key=itemgetter(0))

最终印刷版前面的内容可以使您：

007 - 011: UAGC
007 - 031: UAGCUAACUCAGGUUACAUGGGGA
007 - 049: UAGCUAACUCAGGUUACAUGGGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAU
007 - 066: UAGCUAACUCAGGUUACAUGGGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAA
007 - 072: UAGCUAACUCAGGUUACAUGGGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCC
007 - 076: UAGCUAACUCAGGUUACAUGGGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCCUGAA
007 - 085: UAGCUAACUCAGGUUACAUGGGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCCUGAAUGAUCCGAG
027 - 031: GGGA
027 - 049: GGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAU
027 - 066: GGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAA
027 - 072: GGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCC
027 - 076: GGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCCUGAA
027 - 085: GGGAUGACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCCUGAAUGAUCCGAG
033 - 049: ACCCCGCGACUUGGAU
033 - 066: ACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAA
033 - 072: ACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCC
033 - 076: ACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCCUGAA
033 - 085: ACCCCGCGACUUGGAUUAGAGUCUCUUUUGGAAUAAGCCUGAAUGAUCCGAG
078 - 085: AUCCGAG