name: bio-tcr-bcr-analysis-mixcr-analysis
description: Perform V(D)J alignment and clonotype assembly from TCR-seq or BCR-seq data using MiXCR. Use when processing raw immune repertoire sequencing data to identify clonotypes and their frequencies.
tool_type: cli
primary_tool: MiXCR
measurable_outcome: Execute skill workflow successfully with valid output within 15 minutes.
allowed-tools:
- read_file
- run_shell_command
MiXCR Analysis
Complete Workflow (Recommended)
mixcr analyze generic-tcr-amplicon \
--species human \
--rna \
--rigid-left-alignment-boundary \
--floating-right-alignment-boundary C \
input_R1.fastq.gz input_R2.fastq.gz \
output_prefix
mixcr analyze 10x-vdj-tcr \
input_R1.fastq.gz input_R2.fastq.gz \
output_prefix
Step-by-Step Workflow
Step 1: Align Reads
mixcr align \
--species human \
--preset generic-tcr-amplicon-umi \
input_R1.fastq.gz input_R2.fastq.gz \
alignments.vdjca
mixcr align \
--species human \
--rna \
-OallowPartialAlignments=true \
input_R1.fastq.gz input_R2.fastq.gz \
alignments.vdjca
Step 2: Refine and Assemble
mixcr refineTagsAndSort alignments.vdjca alignments_refined.vdjca
mixcr assemble alignments_refined.vdjca clones.clns
Step 3: Export Results
mixcr exportClones \
--chains TRB \
--preset full \
clones.clns \
clones.tsv
mixcr exportClones \
--chains TRB \
-cloneId -readCount -readFraction \
-nFeature CDR3 -aaFeature CDR3 \
-vGene -dGene -jGene \
clones.clns \
clones_custom.tsv
Preset Protocols
| Protocol |
Use Case |
generic-tcr-amplicon |
TCR amplicon sequencing |
generic-bcr-amplicon |
BCR amplicon sequencing |
generic-tcr-amplicon-umi |
TCR amplicon with UMIs |
rnaseq-tcr |
TCR extraction from bulk RNA-seq |
rnaseq-bcr |
BCR extraction from bulk RNA-seq |
10x-vdj-tcr |
10x Genomics TCR enrichment |
10x-vdj-bcr |
10x Genomics BCR enrichment |
takara-human-tcr-v2 |
Takara SMARTer kit |
Species Support
mixcr align --species human ...
mixcr align --species mmu ...
# Available: human, mmu, rat, rhesus, dog, pig, rabbit, chicken
Output Format
| Column |
Description |
| cloneId |
Unique clone identifier |
| readCount |
Number of reads |
| cloneFraction |
Proportion of repertoire |
| nSeqCDR3 |
Nucleotide CDR3 sequence |
| aaSeqCDR3 |
Amino acid CDR3 sequence |
| allVHitsWithScore |
V gene assignments |
| allDHitsWithScore |
D gene assignments |
| allJHitsWithScore |
J gene assignments |
Quality Metrics
mixcr exportReports alignments.vdjca
# Key metrics:
# - Successfully aligned reads (>80% is good)
# - CDR3 found (>70% of aligned)
# - Clonotype count (varies by sample type)
Parse MiXCR Output in Python
import pandas as pd
def load_mixcr_clones(filepath):
df = pd.read_csv(filepath, sep='\t')
df = df.rename(columns={
'readCount': 'count',
'cloneFraction': 'frequency',
'aaSeqCDR3': 'cdr3_aa',
'nSeqCDR3': 'cdr3_nt'
})
return df
Related Skills
- vdjtools-analysis - Downstream diversity analysis
- scirpy-analysis - Single-cell VDJ integration
- repertoire-visualization - Visualize MiXCR output