Ensembl aims to provide a centralized resource for geneticists, molecular biologists and other researchers studying the genomes of our own species and other vertebrates and model organisms. Ensembl is one of several well known genome browsers for the retrieval of genomic information.
Ensembl is a genome browser for vertebrate genomes that supports research in comparative genomics, evolution, sequence variation and transcriptional regulation. Ensembl annotate genes, computes multiple alignments, predicts regulatory function and collects disease data.
The Ensembl project is both a source of genome sequence related data and an open source software system that can be used to organize any such data.
Features include:
- Graphical interface, which allows users to scroll through a genome and observe the relative location of features such as conceptual annotation (e.g. genes, SNP loci), sequence patterns (e.g. repeats) and experimental data (e.g. sequences and external sequence features mapped onto the genome).
- Graphical views are available for varying levels of resolution from an entire karyotype, down to the sequence of a single exon.
- Annotates known genes and predicts novel genes, with functional annotation from the InterPro protein family databases and with additional annotation by OMIM disease, SAGE expression, and by gene family.
- Compare and visualize user data while browsing karyotypes and genes.
- Supports the following file types: BED, BedGraph, Generic, GFF/GTF, PSL, WIG, BAM, BigBed, BigWig, and VCF.
- Biomart – programming free search engine incorporated in Ensembl and Ensembl Genomes.
- BLAST interface
- Second sequence search tool, that uses an algorithm based on Exonerate.
- Variant Effect Predictor – explore and analyze what is the effect that the variants (SNPs, CNVs, indels or structural variations) have on a particular gene, sequence, protein, transcript or transcription factor.
- Integrated, context sensitive, searchable help system.
Website: www.ensembl.org
Support: Documentation, Blog, GitHub Code Repository
Developer: European Bioinformatics Institute and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
License: Apache 2.0 license
Ensembl is written in Perl. Learn Perl with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Return to Web Based Genome Browsers
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