mims-harvard/tooluniverse

tooluniverse-protein-structure-retrieval

Protein structure retrieval from RCSB PDB, PDBe, and AlphaFold with disambiguation, quality assessment (resolution, R-factor, pLDDT), and metadata.

First seen Feb 4, 2026

Installation

$ npx skills add mims-harvard/tooluniverse --skill tooluniverse-protein-structure-retrieval

Summary

  • Protein structure retrieval from RCSB PDB, PDBe, and AlphaFold with disambiguation, quality assessment (resolution, R-factor, pLDDT), and metadata.
  • Distinguishes high-quality experimental (X-ray under 2 Angstrom) vs predicted vs medium-quality structures.
  • Use for fetching protein structures, structure-quality comparison, and selecting structures for drug design or modeling.

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More details

Agent compatibility

Declared targets from SKILL.md / docs. Unmarked agents are not listed — the skill may still install via the CLI.

Claude Code Not declared
Cursor Not declared
Codex Not declared
GitHub Copilot Not declared
Windsurf Not declared
Gemini CLI Not declared
Cline Not declared
OpenCode Not declared

Repository health

Stars 1.7K
License LICENSE
Default branch main
Open issues 9
Status Active

Package contents

Files included with this skill beyond the listing page.

  • skill md SKILL.md 5,526 B
  • docs SUMMARY.md 421 B

History

  1. First seen on skills.sh
  2. First recorded snapshot · 416 installs

SKILL.md

Protein Structure Data Retrieval

Retrieve protein structures with disambiguation, quality assessment, and comprehensive metadata.

IMPORTANT: Always use English terms in tool calls. Respond in the user's language.

LOOK UP DON'T GUESS: Never assume PDB IDs, resolution, or availability. Always query RCSB/PDBe and AlphaFold to confirm.

Domain Reasoning

Not all structures are equal. X-ray <2 A is high-quality for drug design. Cryo-EM 3-4 A is good for fold but not side chains. AlphaFold is excellent for well-folded domains but unreliable for disordered regions. Always check pLDDT (AlphaFold) or resolution (experimental) before drawing conclusions.

Workflow

Phase 0: Clarify (if needed) → Phase 1: Disambiguate Protein → Phase 2: Retrieve Structures → Phase 3: Report

Phase 0: Clarification (When Needed)

Ask ONLY if: protein name ambiguous (e.g., "kinase"), organism not specified, unclear if experimental vs AlphaFold needed. Skip for: specific PDB IDs, UniProt accessions, unambiguous protein+organism.


Phase 1: Protein Disambiguation

# By PDB ID: direct retrieval
# By UniProt: get AlphaFold + search experimental structures
af_structure = tu.tools.alphafold_get_prediction(uniprot_id=uniprot_id)
# By protein name: search
result = tu.tools.PDBeSearch_search_structures(protein_name=protein_name)

Identity Checklist

  • Protein name/gene identified, organism confirmed
  • UniProt accession (if available), isoform/variant specified (if relevant)

Phase 2: Data Retrieval (Internal)

Retrieve silently. Do NOT narrate the process.

pdb_id = "4INS"

# Search, metadata, quality, ligands, similar structures
result = tu.tools.PDBeSearch_search_structures(protein_name=name)
metadata = tu.tools.get_protein_metadata_by_pdb_id(pdb_id=pdb_id)
exp = tu.tools.RCSBData_get_entry(pdb_id=pdb_id)
quality = tu.tools.PDBeValidation_get_quality_scores(pdb_id=pdb_id)
ligands = tu.tools.PDBe_KB_get_ligand_sites(pdb_id=pdb_id)
similar = tu.tools.PDBeSIFTS_get_all_structures(pdb_id=pdb_id, cutoff=2.0)

# PDBe additional data
summary = tu.tools.pdbe_get_entry_summary(pdb_id=pdb_id)
molecules = tu.tools.pdbe_get_entry_molecules(pdb_id=pdb_id)

# AlphaFold (when no experimental structure, or for comparison)
af = tu.tools.alphafold_get_prediction(uniprot_id=uniprot_id)

Fallback Chains

Primary Fallback
RCSB search PDBe search
getproteinmetadata pdbegetentry_summary
Experimental structure AlphaFold prediction
getproteinligands PDBeKBgetligandsites

Phase 3: Report Structure Profile

Present as a Structure Profile Report. Hide search process. Include:

  1. Search Summary: query, organism, experimental + AlphaFold structure counts
  2. Best Structure: PDB ID, UniProt, organism, method, resolution, date, quality assessment
  3. Experimental Details: method, resolution, R-factor, R-free, space group
  4. Composition: chains, residues (coverage%), ligands, waters, metals
  5. Bound Ligands: ligand ID, name, type, binding site
  6. Binding Site Details (for drug discovery): location, key residues, druggability
  7. Alternative Structures: ranked by quality with resolution, method, ligands
  8. AlphaFold Prediction: UniProt, model version, pLDDT confidence distribution, use cases
  9. Structure Comparison: resolution, completeness, ligands across structures
  10. Download Links: PDB/mmCIF/AlphaFold formats, database URLs

Quality Assessment

Experimental Structures

Tier Criteria
Excellent X-ray <1.5A, complete, R-free <0.22
High X-ray <2.0A OR Cryo-EM <3.0A
Good X-ray 2.0-3.0A OR Cryo-EM 3.0-4.0A
Moderate X-ray >3.0A OR NMR ensemble
Low >4.0A, incomplete, or problematic

Resolution Use Cases

<1.5A: atomic detail, H-bond analysis. 1.5-2.0A: drug design. 2.0-2.5A: structure-based design. 2.5-3.5A: overall architecture. >3.5A: domain arrangement only.

AlphaFold Confidence (pLDDT)

90: very high, experimental-like. 70-90: good backbone. 50-70: uncertain/flexible. <50: likely disordered.


Error Handling

Error Response
"PDB ID not found" Verify 4-char format, check if obsoleted
"No structures" Offer AlphaFold, suggest similar proteins
"Download failed" Retry once, provide alternative link
"Resolution unavailable" Likely NMR/model, note in assessment

Tool Reference

RCSB PDB: PDBeSearchsearchstructures (search), getproteinmetadatabypdbid (basic info), RCSBDatagetentry (details), PDBeValidationgetqualityscores (quality), PDBeKBgetligandsites (ligands), PDBeSIFTSgetall_structures (homologs)

PDBe: pdbegetentrysummary (overview), pdbegetentrymolecules (entities), pdbegetentryexperiment (experimental), PDBeKBgetligand_sites (pockets)

AlphaFold: alphafoldgetprediction (get prediction), alphafoldgetsummary (search)