International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration

The International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration (INSDC, http://insdc.org) consists of a joint effort to collect and disseminate databases containing DNA and RNA sequences. It involves the following computerized databases: DNA Data Bank of Japan (Japan), GenBank (USA) and the European Nucleotide Archive (UK). New and updated data on nucleotide sequences contributed by research teams to each of the three databases are synchronized on a daily basis through continuous interaction between the staff at each the collaborating organizations.

The DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank synchronization is maintained according to a number of guidelines which are produced and published by an International Advisory Board [1]. The guidelines consist of a common definition of the feature tables [2] for the databases, which regulate the content and syntax [3] of the database entries, in the form of a common DTD or Document Type Definition.

The syntax is called INSDSeq and its core consists of the letter sequence of the gene expression (amino acid sequence) and the letter sequence for nucleotide bases in the gene or decoded segment. In [4] a DBFetch operation shows a typical INSD entry at the EBI database; the same entry at NCBI is here [5].

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