: Switching builds mid-project can introduce errors, leading many labs to stick with the "tried and true" version for ongoing studies. Where to Download ucsc.hg19.fasta
The most authoritative source for this file is the FTP server. Depending on your technical comfort level, there are three primary ways to get the data: 1. The UCSC Downloads Page (Web Browser)
If you prefer a point-and-click interface, you can navigate to the UCSC hg19 download directory. Look for the file named hg19.fa.gz . download ucsc.hg19.fasta
Creates an .fai index, allowing tools to jump to specific regions quickly. Picard Tools Creates a .dict file required by the GATK pipeline. Important Naming Convention Warning
: This is a compressed "Gzip" file. You will need to extract it after downloading to get the .fasta file. 2. Using Command Line Tools (wget/curl) : Switching builds mid-project can introduce errors, leading
While GRCh38 is the current standard, is still widely used because:
For those working on remote servers or high-performance computing (HPC) clusters, using wget is the fastest method. Run the following command in your terminal: wget https://ucsc.edu Use code with caution. 3. UCSC Table Browser (Custom Subsets) The UCSC Downloads Page (Web Browser) If you
If you don't need the entire 3GB+ file and only want specific chromosomes (e.g., just Chromosome 21), use the UCSC Table Browser . Select "Sequence" as the output format to generate a custom FASTA file for your specific genomic regions. Essential Post-Download Steps