Introducing RefSeq and LocusLink: curated human genome resources at the NCBI

• Published in: Trends in genetics Vol. 16; no. 1; pp. 44 - 47
• Main Authors: Pruitt, Kim D., Katz, Kenneth S., Sicotte, Hugues, Maglott, Donna R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 2000
• Subjects: Bioinformatics; Databases, Factual; Genome, Human; Genomics; Humans; Internet; LocusLink; RefSeq; RefSeq; Genetics; LocusLink; Bioinformatics; Genomics
• ISSN: 0168-9525
• DOI: 10.1016/S0168-9525(99)01882-X

The multiplicity of sequences in the public databases for genes, transcripts and proteins makes it challenging for researchers who want to: (1) find the sequence for a gene; (2) determine what is known about a gene or protein; (3) establish a common frame of reference for comparing sequence variants and polymorphisms; or (4) select a representative set of sequences for large-scale expression studies. Furthermore, even when a sequence has been studied, it can be difficult to know the correct name or other attributes of the gene that sequence represents. Two new interdependent curated resources are now available that address these problems. RefSeq (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/LocusLink/refseq.html) provides standard reference sequences (currently human mRNAs and their translation products). For each locus, LocusLink (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/LocusLink/) serves as a central hub to integrate sequence, standard nomenclature, gene and protein descriptions, and Web-based sources of additional information. Together, RefSeq and LocusLink make it easier for researchers to locate information about genes and their products, using queries of either sequence or text.