| name | ena-database |
| description | Access European Nucleotide Archive via API/FTP. Retrieve DNA/RNA sequences, raw reads (FASTQ), genome assemblies by accession, for genomics and bioinformatics pipelines. Supports multiple formats. |
| license | Unknown |
| metadata | {"skill-author":"K-Dense Inc."} |
| verified | false |
| lastVerifiedAt | "2026-02-19T05:29:09.098Z" |
| source | builtin |
| trust_score | 100 |
| provenance_sha | 9ea728b3e4c9dd94 |
ENA Database
Overview
The European Nucleotide Archive (ENA) is a comprehensive public repository for nucleotide sequence data and associated metadata. Access and query DNA/RNA sequences, raw reads, genome assemblies, and functional annotations through REST APIs and FTP for genomics and bioinformatics pipelines.
When to Use This Skill
This skill should be used when:
- Retrieving nucleotide sequences or raw sequencing reads by accession
- Searching for samples, studies, or assemblies by metadata criteria
- Downloading FASTQ files or genome assemblies for analysis
- Querying taxonomic information for organisms
- Accessing sequence annotations and functional data
- Integrating ENA data into bioinformatics pipelines
- Performing cross-reference searches to related databases
- Bulk downloading datasets via FTP or Aspera
Core Capabilities
1. Data Types and Structure
ENA organizes data into hierarchical object types:
Studies/Projects - Group related data and control release dates. Studies are the primary unit for citing archived data.
Samples - Represent units of biomaterial from which sequencing libraries were produced. Samples must be registered before submitting most data types.
Raw Reads - Consist of:
- Experiments: Metadata about sequencing methods, library preparation, and instrument details
- Runs: References to data files containing raw sequencing reads from a single sequencing run
Assemblies - Genome, transcriptome, metagenome, or metatranscriptome assemblies at various completion levels.
Sequences - Assembled and annotated sequences stored in the EMBL Nucleotide Sequence Database, including coding/non-coding regions and functional annotations.
Analyses - Results from computational analyses of sequence data.
Taxonomy Records - Taxonomic information including lineage and rank.
2. Programmatic Access
ENA provides multiple REST APIs for data access. Consult references/api_reference.md for detailed endpoint documentation.
Key APIs:
ENA Portal API - Advanced search functionality across all ENA data types
