BIO-INFORMATICS

What is GenBank?

GenBank ® is the NIH genetic sequence database, an annotated collection of all publicly

available DNA sequences (Nucleic Acids Research , 2013 Jan;41(D1):D36-42 ). GenBank is part of

the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration , which comprises the DNA

DataBank of Japan (DDBJ), the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), and GenBank at

NCBI. These three organizations exchange data on a daily basis.

The complete release notes for the current version of GenBank are available on the NCBI ftp

site. A new release is made every two months. GenBank growth statistics for both the

traditional GenBank divisions and the WGS division are available from each release.

An example of a GenBank record may be viewed for a Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene.

Access to GenBank

There are several ways to search and retrieve data from GenBank.

Search GenBank for sequence identifiers and annotations with Entrez Nucleotide , which

is divided into three divisions: CoreNucleotide (the main collection), dbEST (Expressed

Sequence Tags), and dbGSS (Genome Survey Sequences).

Search and align GenBank sequences to a query sequence using BLAST (Basic Local

Alignment Search Tool). BLAST searches CoreNucleotide, dbEST, and dbGSS

independently; see BLAST info for more information about the numerous BLAST

databases.

Search, link, and download sequences programatically using NCBI e-utilities .

GenBank Data Usage

The GenBank database is designed to provide and encourage access within the scientific

community to the most up to date and comprehensive DNA sequence information. Therefore,

NCBI places no restrictions on the use or distribution of the GenBank data. However, some

submitters may claim patent, copyright, or other intellectual property rights in all or a portion of

the data they have submitted. NCBI is not in a position to assess the validity of such claims, and

therefore cannot provide comment or unrestricted permission concerning the use, copying, or

distribution of the information contained in GenBank.

The GenBank sequence database is an open access, annotated collection of all publicly available

nucleotide sequences and their protein translations. This database is produced and maintained

Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics (BBT504)