is a Data Source.
The Gene Ontology Annotation (GOA) Database provides high-quality Gene Ontology (GO) annotations to proteins in the UniProt Knowledgebase (UniProtKB), RNA molecules from RNAcentral, and protein complexes from the Complex Portal. GOA files contain a mixture of manual annotations supplied by members of the Gene Ontology Consortium and computationally assigned GO terms describing gene products. All annotations are clearly indicated by associated evidence codes with links to source data. Files are released approximately every four weeks in coordination with UniProtKB releases.
genomics, biological systems, proteomics
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| ID | Name | URL | Category | Format | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| goa.portal | GOA Website | index | GraphicalInterface | http | Web portal for accessing GOA informat... |
| goa.quickgo | QuickGO Browser | QuickGO | GraphicalInterface | http | Browser for searching and viewing Gen... |
| goa.ftp ⚠ | GOA FTP Site | goa | Product | http | FTP site containing current and archi... |
| goa.uniprot ⚠ | UniProt GOA Annotations | UNIPROT | Product | txt | GO annotations for all UniProtKB entries |
| goa.human ⚠ | Human GOA Annotations | HUMAN | Product | txt | GO annotations for human proteins |
| goa.mouse ⚠ | Mouse GOA Annotations | MOUSE | Product | txt | GO annotations for mouse proteins |
| goa.mapping-files ⚠ | GO Mapping Files | external2go | MappingProduct | txt | Files containing transitive assignmen... |
| goa.pdb ⚠ | PDB GOA Annotations | PDB | Product | txt | GO annotations for PDB entries |
| goa.proteomes ⚠ | Proteomes GOA Annotations | proteomes | Product | txt | GO annotations organized by proteomes |
| goa.documentation | GOA Documentation | newto | DocumentationProduct | http | Documentation including FAQ, About pa... |
| ID | Name | URL | Category | Format | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| automat.humangoa | humangoa_automat | 06f107a4e9e8e547 | GraphProduct | kgx-jsonl | HumanGOA Automat |
| translator.goa.graph | Translator GOA KGX Graph | latest | GraphProduct | kgx-jsonl | KGX JSONL graph package for GOA distr... |
| proteomehd.data | ProteomeHD Data | Data | GraphProduct | ❔ | ProteomeHD data files |
| translator.translator_kg.graph | Translator Aggregate KGX Graph | latest | GraphProduct | kgx-jsonl | Aggregated KGX JSONL graph package co... |
The Gene Ontology Annotation (GOA) Database is a comprehensive resource providing high-quality Gene Ontology (GO) annotations to biological entities including proteins in the UniProt Knowledgebase (UniProtKB), RNA molecules from RNAcentral, and protein complexes from the Complex Portal. As a key component of the Gene Ontology Consortium infrastructure, GOA serves as a central hub for functional annotation of gene products across multiple species and databases.
GOA aims to provide comprehensive, high-quality GO annotations that describe the molecular functions, biological processes, and cellular components associated with gene products. The database integrates both manual expert annotations supplied by members of the Gene Ontology Consortium and computationally assigned GO terms, with all annotation types clearly indicated by associated evidence codes and linked to source data.
GOA provides two primary types of annotations:
All annotations include evidence codes that clearly indicate the type and quality of supporting evidence, ensuring transparency and enabling users to assess annotation reliability.
GOA provides comprehensive annotation sets for multiple model organisms and species, including:
The QuickGO browser (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/QuickGO/) provides a user-friendly web interface for searching and viewing Gene Ontology terms and annotations. Users can explore GO term hierarchies, view annotations for specific gene products, and access detailed evidence supporting each annotation.
Current and archived GOA annotation files are available through the GOA FTP site (ftp://ftp.ebi.ac.uk/pub/databases/GO/goa/). Each species-specific directory contains README files describing available files and their content. Archived annotation sets are maintained to support historical analyses and reproducibility.
GOA annotations are provided in standard Gene Ontology annotation formats, making them compatible with a wide range of bioinformatics tools and workflows. Files include:
GOA provides specialized mapping files that enable automatic generation of GO annotations through transitive assignment. These files contain mappings from:
These mapping files are used in conjunction with annotated databases like UniProtKB to generate automatic (IEA-evidenced) GO annotations, significantly expanding annotation coverage.
All GOA files are released approximately every four weeks, coordinated with UniProtKB releases. This regular release schedule ensures that users have access to the most current annotations, incorporating new literature-based annotations and updates to computational predictions.
GOA integrates closely with several major biological databases and resources:
GOA annotations support a wide range of research applications:
GOA maintains high annotation quality through:
The GOA team at EMBL-EBI provides support and welcomes feedback through their contact page (https://www.ebi.ac.uk/GOA/contactus). The team maintains active social media presence through the QuickGO Twitter account (@QuickGO_EBI) for announcements and updates.
GOA is hosted at EMBL-EBI (European Bioinformatics Institute) at the Wellcome Genome Campus in Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, UK. The database benefits from EMBL-EBI’s robust infrastructure, ensuring high availability, data security, and reliable access for the global research community.
Created: October 29, 2025 | Last modified: October 29, 2025