Ensembl

Ensembl is a comprehensive genome resource that provides a genome browser, gene annotations, and tools for exploring vertebrate genomes. It is a joint project of the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI) and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, with ongoing collaboration across the EMBL-EBI family. Since its inception in 1999, Ensembl has evolved into a central reference for genome structure, gene models, and comparative analyses.

Ensembl offers integrated access to genome assemblies, gene models, regulatory features, variation data, and comparative genomics. The Ensembl Genome Browser displays gene structures, transcripts, protein products, regulatory regions, and conserved synteny across species. The project maintains curated gene sets and links to functional data, and provides tools for variant interpretation through the Variant Effect Predictor (VEP). Ensembl Genomes extends the platform to non-vertebrate organisms, including bacteria, fungi, plants, and metazoans.

In addition to interactive browsing, Ensembl provides programmatic access via REST and Perl APIs and data extraction through BioMart. Data are updated through regular releases, typically every six weeks, with new assemblies and annotations. Ensembl resources are widely used by researchers for gene discovery, variant interpretation, and comparative genomics across dozens of species.