The Entrez Global Query Cross-Database Search System allows access to databases at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) website. NCBI is part of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), itself a department of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Searching
Entrez is a powerful search engine that can be applied to any of the large databases maintained by the NCBI. These include:
The Entrez system can provide views of gene and protein sequences and chromosome maps. Entrez can efficiently retrieve related sequences, structures, and references. Some textbooks are also available online through the Entrez system. Entrez Global Query is an integrated search and retrieval system that provides access to all databases simultaneously.
Genbank
Main article: GenBank
The NCBI has had responsibility for making available the GenBank DNA sequence database since 1992. GenBank coordinates with individual laboratories and other sequence databases such as those of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and the DNA Database of Japan.
Since 1992, NCBI has grown to provide other databases in addition to GenBank. NCBI provides Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man, the Molecular Modeling Database (3D protein structures), the Unique Human Gene Sequence Collection, a Gene Map of the Human genome, a Taxonomy Browser, and coordinates with the National Cancer Institute to provide the Cancer Genome Anatomy Project.
The NCBI has software tools that are available by WWW browsing or by FTP. For example, BLAST is a sequence similarity searching program. BLAST can do sequence comparisons against the GenBank DNA database in less than 15 seconds.
NLM Catalog
The NLM Catalog provides access to NLM bibliographic data for over 1.2 million journals, books, audiovisuals, computer software, electronic resources, and other materials via the NCBI Entrez retrieval system. Updated every weekday, the NLM Catalog is an alternative search interface to the bibliographic records resident in LocatorPlus.
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