[thedoc (OP)]

In a recent Naked Genetics podcast Dr Kat talks about genes called "unkempt" and "headcase". This caused me to wonder how they came to have such bizarre names.   Then I wondered what the "rules" are for naming genes? Who gets to christen them? Is there a classification system and agreed nomenclature for genes (as there are for plants and animals) or can people who discover them call them whatever they like? Surely a free-for-all would be chaotic - no-one would know which gene was which, there would be some genes that were "discovered" by several different people all of whom called it by a different name, and possibly lots of different genes with the same name (although I doubt whether too many people would name their newly discovered gene "headcase").  Thank, Nicky        

   

Asked by Nicky Peng


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[chapter podcast=1000981 track=15.02.14/Naked_Genetics_15.02.14_1003307.mp3]  ...or Listen to the Answer[/chapter] or [download as MP3]

[thedoc (OP)]

We answered this question on the show...

Kat - At this point we’d usually be hearing about our gene of the month - over the past couple of years we’ve had some wonderfully-name examples, from Sonic Hedgehog to Superman. Most of these are named by researchers working with model organisms such as fruit flies, who tend to pick a name inspired by the appearance of a fly lacking that gene. But listener Nicky Peng wants to know more and has written in asking