Gene Database

Overview

NCBI Gene is a comprehensive database integrating gene information from diverse species. It provides nomenclature, reference sequences (RefSeqs), chromosomal maps, biological pathways, genetic variations, phenotypes, and cross-references to global genomic resources.

When to Use This Skill

This skill should be used when working with gene data including searching by gene symbol or ID, retrieving gene sequences and metadata, analyzing gene functions and pathways, or performing batch gene lookups.

Quick Start

NCBI provides two main APIs for gene data access:

1. E-utilities (Traditional): Full-featured API for all Entrez databases with flexible querying
2. NCBI Datasets API (Newer): Optimized for gene data retrieval with simplified workflows

Choose E-utilities for complex queries and cross-database searches. Choose the Datasets API for straightforward gene metadata retrieval (one gene report per request; transcript/protein RefSeq accessions come from the separate product_report endpoint).