GET /lookup/symbol/{species}/{symbol}Find a gene by its human-readable symbol (like 'BRCA2' or 'TP53') within a specific species. Returns the same detailed metadata as the ID lookup endpoint. This is how you translate from gene symbols used in publications to Ensembl IDs needed for other queries. Returns multiple results if the symbol matches multiple genes (e.g., paralogs or uncurated matches).
Find the species and database for a symbol in a linked external database (e.g., HGNC symbol like BRCA2, TP53).
- Gene symbols can be ambiguous - BRCA2 in human is different from BRCA2 in mouse - Always specify the species explicitly - Symbols are case-insensitive in the query but the response shows the canonical case - Some symbols match multiple genes; check the `biotype` field to find protein-coding genes
(boolean, query, optional, default: False)
Expands the search to include any connected features
(string, path, required)
Species name (e.g., human, homo_sapiens, mouse)
(string, path, required)
Gene symbol (e.g., BRCA2, TP53, EGFR)
| Title | Type | URL | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lookup gene by symbol | openapi-spec |
https://rest.ensembl.org/lookup/symbol/homo_sapiens/BRCA2 |
| Time | Status | Latency | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-23 09:27:49.988098 | 200 | 152ms |