# Ensembl Scraper: Gene Records by Symbol (`naimurhasanrwd/ensembl-genes-scraper`) Actor

Look up gene records by symbol and species via the Ensembl REST API: coordinates, biotype, strand and assembly. No login, no proxy, no browser.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/naimurhasanrwd/ensembl-genes-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Naimur Hasan](https://apify.com/naimurhasanrwd) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

Pay per usage

This Actor is paid per platform usage. The Actor is free to use, and you only pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-usage

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Ensembl Scraper

Looks up gene records by symbol and species through the Ensembl REST API. No
login, no proxy, no browser.

### Input

| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| `species` | string | Ensembl species name, e.g. `homo_sapiens`, `mus_musculus`. Default `homo_sapiens`. |
| `symbols` | array | Required. Gene symbols. Default `["BRCA2", "TP53", "EGFR"]`. |

### Output

One row per gene: `symbol`, `requestedSymbol`, `ensemblId`, `species`,
`biotype`, `description`, `chromosome`, `start`, `end`, `lengthBp`,
`strand`, `strandLabel`, `assembly`, `objectType`, `ensemblUrl`.

### Notes

- **`strand` is `1` or `-1`, not a boolean or a sign character.** It says
  which DNA strand the gene is read from; the readable label is derived rather
  than leaving a bare number in the column.
- **Genomic coordinates are inclusive at both ends**, so length is
  `end - start + 1`. Subtracting alone is off by one.
- `assembly` matters when comparing coordinates — the same gene has different
  positions on GRCh37 and GRCh38.
- An unknown symbol returns HTTP 400, not 404; both are treated as "not found"
  and skipped rather than failing the batch.
- **Ensembl emits intermittent HTTP 500s** — measured at roughly one call in
  four, with successful calls interleaved, so the service is up rather than
  down. Retryable statuses are retried with a backoff; a genuine 400/404 for
  an unknown symbol is not retried.

# Actor input Schema

## `species` (type: `string`):

Ensembl species name, e.g. homo_sapiens, mus_musculus, danio_rerio

## `symbols` (type: `array`):

Gene symbols to look up, e.g. BRCA2, TP53

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "species": "homo_sapiens",
  "symbols": [
    "BRCA2",
    "TP53",
    "EGFR"
  ]
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `items` (type: `string`):

Every gene the run resolved.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "species": "homo_sapiens",
    "symbols": [
        "BRCA2",
        "TP53",
        "EGFR"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("naimurhasanrwd/ensembl-genes-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "species": "homo_sapiens",
    "symbols": [
        "BRCA2",
        "TP53",
        "EGFR",
    ],
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("naimurhasanrwd/ensembl-genes-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "species": "homo_sapiens",
  "symbols": [
    "BRCA2",
    "TP53",
    "EGFR"
  ]
}' |
apify call naimurhasanrwd/ensembl-genes-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,naimurhasanrwd/ensembl-genes-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/li8EsEWjiT1wneGHI/builds/0OyMekHjbAzIxE6MJ/openapi.json