gene-database
NCBI Gene Database
Overview
NCBI Gene is the authoritative curated database for gene-centric information, covering 1M+ genes across hundreds of thousands of taxa. Each gene record includes the official symbol, aliases, full name, functional summary, genomic coordinates (GRCh38/GRCh37), RefSeq accessions, GO annotations, interaction partners, and links to related databases. Access is free via E-utilities REST API (no API key required, though recommended).
When to Use
- Resolving gene aliases and synonyms to the current official HGNC/NCBI symbol
- Fetching the NCBI Gene ID (integer) for a gene symbol for downstream API calls (e.g., dbSNP, ClinVar, GEO)
- Retrieving curated gene summaries and function descriptions programmatically
- Pulling RefSeq mRNA (NM_) and protein (NP_) accessions associated with a gene
- Querying GO functional annotations (Biological Process, Molecular Function, Cellular Component)
- Cross-species gene queries using the same Gene ID space
- For expression profiles across conditions use
geo-database; for variant annotations useclinvar-databaseorensembl-database
Prerequisites
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