Molecular Biology and Genetics Resources
Online Resources
Entrez
ExPASy
NCBI
This database contains DNA and protein sequence data from: GenBank, the
NCBI backbone, EMBL, DDBJ, PIR, and SWISS-PROT. The sequences within the database are
linked to related sequences using the BLAST algorithm. The sequences are also linked to
related MEDLINE records.
From the University of Geneva. Includes a variety of search tools,
information on 2 dimensional gel electrophoresis, etc.
The Nation Center for Biotechnology Information site includes e-mail instructions for
the BLAST server, an experimental notebook for direct BLAST searching, and information
about other GENBANK searching methods. Additional NCBI resources including Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM)
can be found at this site.
Searching Bibliographic Database for Genetics and
Molecular Biology Information
Of the bibliographic databases available on the library database system, MEDLINE is the
best for finding articles on these topics. Other databases, such as BIOSIS also contain
citations to articles on genetics and molecular biology topics. While these databases are
not available in the library, a librarian
can search them for a fee.
If you are unfamiliar with searching MEDLINE consult the tipsheet, Searching MEDLINE
using Ovid. The Ovid help menu also provides instruction on using
Ovid and
specific help on the database being searched. Searching for genetics or molecular biology
subjects is similar to searching for other topics. There are some features of MEDLINE that
may help in your search.
- Subject headings
- The genetics subheading
- The gene symbol field (GS)
- The name of substance field (RW)
- The CAS registry number field (RN)
Subject headings
Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) are used to index articles
listed in MEDLINE. There are several advantages to using MeSH
terms.
- The same term will always be used for the same concept.
- MeSH terms can be "exploded". "Exploding" a term allows you to
search for a term and all narrower terms at once. For example, if you explode the term,
"oncogenes" you will also search for the term proto-oncogenes, and thirteen
specific proto-oncogenes.
- The thesaurus allows you to apply a subheading to a specific term. If you are
interested in the genetics of cystic fibrosis, applying the subheading,
"genetics" to the MeSH term "cystic fibrosis" assures that most
article citations retrieved will be relevant. The subheading, "genetics" is
discussed in more detail below.
The subheading, "genetics"
The subheading, "genetics" is used for "mechanisms of heredity and the
genetics of organisms, for the genetic basis of normal and pathologic states, and for the
genetic aspects of endogenous chemicals. It includes biochemical and molecular influence
on genetic material."
This subheading can be used with MeSH terms for organisms, diseases, physiology,
enzymes, amino acids, growth substances, proteins, nucleic acids, and other biochemical
substances, antigens and antibodies, behavioral and mental disorders, and physiology.
To use this subheading, find a MeSH term in the thesaurus and select
"genetics" from the list of subheadings that appear.
The gene symbol field (GS)
This field contains the symbol or abbreviated form of the gene name. The gene symbol is
taken from the article. No attempt is made to standardize gene symbols. Because MEDLINE
does not include characters for superscripts, subscripts, or Greek letters,
conventions have been adopted to represent these characters.
Use the "Search Fields" button in Ovid MEDLINE to search the gene symbol field.
The name of substance field (RW)
This field includes the names of any chemical substances or enzymes discussed in the
article. Use the "Search Fields" button in Ovid MEDLINE to
search the name of substance field.
The CAS (chemical abstract service) registry number field (RN)
The National Library of Medicine describes this field as follows: "This field
contains either the Registry Number or the Enzyme Commission Number for a given
chemical." Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Numbers should be searched with the
hyphens. For example:
59-30-3.rn
Enzyme Commission Numbers should include any hyphens or periods except that periods as
a last character should be dropped. For example:
3.1.3.9.rn
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The University of Kansas Medical Center