Gene-Centered Resources at NCBI

Gene-specific information can of course be found by searching the various Entrez databases individually. However, this approach can require many separate searches and, depending on the search strategy used, the records found by a search can be quite numerous and variable in quality.

Another approach to gathering many different types of information about a single gene is to start with a single (or a few) high quality records in one Entrez database, such as a curated RefSeq mRNA record for a gene of interest, and following the links from that record to associated records in other databases.

Perhaps the easiest way to find gene-specific information is to use a database such as Entrez Gene, which gathers a wide range of information for each locus of a given organism and presents it in a single record.

NCBI offers a variety of gene-centered resources, which are described in the NCBI Resource Guide. The particular resources that are appropriate for a user depend on his/her specific needs.

As an introduction to gene-centered resources, this module focuses primarily on Entrez Gene because it covers a wide scope of organisms and provides a broad range of information in individual gene records.