Resources for Genetic and Cytogenetic Nomenclature

The rules for many organisms are modeled after those for bacteria, plants, mouse, human, or the recommendations published by an international committee in 1957 (ICGSN 1957). If no rules exist for your organism of interest, look to these models for guidance.

The references are in one of the standard formats to be recommended in SSF7.

GENERAL REFERENCES

[ICGSN] International Committee on Genetic Symbols and Nomenclature. Report of the International Committee on Genetic Symbols and Nomenclature. Union Int Sci Biol Ser B. 1957;(30):1-6.

Wood R, editor. Genetic nomenclature guide. West Sussex (UK): Elsevier; 1998. 48 p. [This supplement to Trends in Genetics summarizes "the most important rules and guidelines for the genetic nomenclature of model organisms used in research," and includes examples, references, and contact information for contributors, stock centers, Web sites, and other resources. The model organisms are: Arabidopsis thaliana, Aspergillus nidulans, bacteria, Caenorhabditis elegans, chick, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Dictyostelium discoideum, Drosophila melanogaster, human, maize, mouse, Neurospora crassa, pea, rat, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and zebrafish; sequenced plant genes are also included.]

SPECIFIC ORGANISMS AND SUBCELLULAR COMPONENTS

Arabidopsis thaliana

Fransz P, Armstrong S, Alonso-Blanco C, Fischer TC, Torres-Ruiz RA, Jones G. Cytogenetics of the model system Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant J. 1998;13:867-876.
TAIR: The Arabidopsis Information Resource [homepage on the Internet]. Stanford (CA): Stanford University; c1997-99 [revised 2001 May 15; cited 2001 Jun 17]. Available from: http://www.arabidopsis.org/.

Aspergillus nidulans

Clutterbuck AJ. Gene symbols in Aspergillus nidulans. Genet Res. 1973;21(3):291-296.
Clutterbuck AJ. The validity of the Aspergillus nidulans linkage map. Fungal Genet Biol. 1997; 21:267-277.

bacteria and archaea

Demerec M, Adelberg EA, Clark AJ, Hartman PE. A proposal for a uniform nomenclature in bacterial genetics. Genetics. 1966;54(1):61-76.

barley

Franckowiak JD, Lundqvist U, Konishi T. New and revised names for barley genes. Barley Genet Newsl. 1997;26:4-8. Also available from: http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/ggpages/bgn/26/text261a.html [cited 2001 Jun 18].
Linde-Laursen I. Recommendations for the designation of the barley chromosomes and their arms. Barley Genet Newsl. 1997;26:1-3. Also available from: http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/ggpages/bgn/26/text261a.html [cited 2001 Jun 18].

Caenorhabditis elegans

Hodgkin J. Recommended genetic nomenclature for Caenorhabditis elegans [monograph on the Internet]. [Dallas (TX): University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center]; [modified 1997 Feb 6; cited 2001 Jun 18]. Available from: http://elegans.swmed.edu/Genome/nomen.html

cat

Cho KW, Youn HY, Watari T, Tsujimoto H, Hasegawa A, Satoh H. A proposed nomenclature of the domestic cat karyotype. Cytogenet Cell Genet. 1997;79(1-2):71-78.
Committee on Standardized Genetic Nomenclature for Cats. Standardized genetic nomenclature for the domestic cat. J Hered. 1968;59(1):39-40.

cattle

Dolling CHS. Standardized genetic nomenclature for cattle. In: Fries R, Ruvinsky A, editors. The genetics of cattle. Wallingford (UK): CABI; 1999. p. 657-666.
Popescu CP, Long S, Riggs P, Womack J, Schmutz S, Fries R, Gallagher DS. Standardization of cattle karyotype nomenclature: report of the Committee for the Standardization of the Cattle Karyotype. Cytogenet Cell Genet. 1996;74(4):259-261.

chicken and other avian species

Crittenden LB, Bitgood JJ, Burt DW, Ponce de Leon FA, Tixier-Boichard M. Nomenclature for naming loci, alleles, linkage groups, and chromosomes to be used in poultry genome publications and databases. Genet Sel Evol. 1996;28:289-297.
Ladjali-Mohammedi K, Bitgood JJ, Tixier-Boichard M, Ponce de Leon FA. International system for standardized avian karyotypes (ISSAK): standardized banded karyotypes of the domestic fowl (Gallus domesticus). Cytogenet Cell Genet. 1999;86(3-4):271-276.

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Kathir P, Siliflow C. Molecular and genetic maps of the nuclear genome [monograph on the Internet]. Durham (NC): Duke University, Chlamydomonas Genetics Center; 1999 May [cited 2001 Aug 28]. Available from: http://www.biology.duke.edu/chlamy_genome/nuclear_maps.html
Dutcher S, Harris E. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. In: Wood R, editor. Genetic nomenclature guide. West Sussex (UK): Elsevier; 1998. p. S.18-S.19.

chloroplasts

Chloroplast Working Group. ycfs [monograph on the Internet]. Piscataway (NJ): Waksman Institute; [modified 1999 Mar 10; cited 2001 Jun 18]. Available from: http://mbclserver.rutgers.edu/CPGN/ChloroplastWeb/Chloroplast.group.html

crucifers

CrGC genetic terminology [monograph on the Internet]. Madison (WI): University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Plant Pathology, Crucifer Genetics Cooperative; [modified 1997 Jan 31; cited 2001 Jun 18]. Available from: http://fastplants.cals.wisc.edu/crgc/genterm/gen.html

cucurbits

Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Gene List Committee. Gene nomenclature for the Cucurbitaceae. CGC Rep. 2000;23:139. Also available from: http://genome.cornell.edu/cgc/generule.htm [cited 2001 Jun 18]. Robinson RW, Decker-Walters DS. Cucurbits. Wallingford (UK): CABI; 1997.

deer mouse

Greenbaum IF, Gunn SJ, Smith SA, McAllister BF, Hale DW, Baker RJ, Engstrom MD, Hamilton MJ, Modi WS, Robbins LW, et al. Cytogenetic nomenclature of deer mice, Peromyscus (Rodentia): revision and review of the standardized karyotype. Cytogenet Cell Genet. 1994;66(3):181-195.
Lyon MF. Rules and guidelines for gene nomenclature. In: Lyon MF, Searle AG, editors. Genetic variants and strains of the laboratory mouse. 2nd ed. Oxford (UK): Oxford University Press; 1989. p. 1-11. [Editor's note: These rules were written for mouse, but are still being used for deer mouse. The rules for mouse have evolved since then.]
PeroBase: the Peromyscus database at the University of South Carolina [database on the Internet]. Columbia (SC): University of South Carolina; c2001- [revised 2001 Jul 24; cited 2001 Aug 28]. Peromyscus gene list. Available from: http://wotan.cs.sc.edu/perobase/genetics/genelist.htm

Dictyostelium discoideum

Kay R, Loomis B, Devreotes P. Dictyostelium discoideum. In: Wood R, editor. Genetic nomenclature guide. West Sussex (UK): Elsevier; 1998. p. S.5-S.6.

dog

Reimann N, Bartnitzke S, Nolte I, Bullerdick J. Working with canine chromosomes: current recommendations for karyotype description. J Hered. 1999;90(1):31-34.
Ruvinsky A, Sampson J. The genetics of the dog. Wallingford (UK): CABI. Forthcoming in 2001. Standardized genetic nomenclature for the dog.
Switonski M, Reimann N, Bosma AA, Long S, Bartnitzke S, Pienkowska A, Moreno-Milan MM, Fischer P. Report on the progress of standardization of the G-banded canine (Canis familiaris) karyotype. Committee for the Standardized Karyotype of the Dog (Canis familiaris). Chromosome Res. 1996;4(4):306-309.

domestic animals

Di Berardino D, Hayes H, Fries R, Long S, editors. International system for cytogenetic nomenclature of domestic animals (1989). The Second International Conference on Standardization of Domestic Animal Karyotypes. Cytogenet Cell Genet. 1990;53(2-3):65-79.

Drosophila melanogaster

Harvard University, Biological Laboratories. Genetic nomenclature for Drosophila melanogaster. In: FlyBase: a database of the Drosophila genome [database on the Internet]. Bloomington (IN): Indiana University; c1993-1997- [revised 2001 Aug 9; cited 2001 Aug 28]. Available from: http://flybase.bio.indiana.edu/docs/nomenclature/lk/nomenclature.html Lindsley DL, Zimm GG. The genome of Drosophila melanogaster. San Diego (CA): Academic Press; 1992.

horse

Dolling CHS. Standardized genetic nomenclature for the horse. In: Bowling AT, Ruvinsky A, editors. The genetics of the horse. New York (NY): Oxford University Press; 2000.
International System for Cytogenetic Nomenclature of the Domestic Horse. Report of the Third International Committee for the Standardization of the Domestic Horse Karyotype, Davis, CA, USA, 1996. Chromosome Res. 1997;5(7):433-443.

human

Mitelman F, editor. ISCN 1995. An international system for human cytogenetic nomenclature. Basel: Karger; c1995.
White JA, McAlpine PJ, Antonarakis S, Cann H, Eppig JT, Frazer K, Frezal J, Lancet D, Nahmias J, Pearson P, et al. Guidelines for human gene nomenclature (1997). Genomics. 1997;45(2):468-471. Also available from http://www.gene.ucl.ac.uk/nomenclature/guidelines.html [cited 2001 Jun 18].

maize

MaizeDB: Maize Cooperation in Genomics and Genetics [database on the Internet]. Columbia (MO): University of Missouri. 1991- [modified 2001 Feb 5; cited 2001 Jun 18]. Available from: http://www.agron.missouri.edu
Nomenclature Subcommittee. A standard for maize genetics nomenclature. In: MaizeDB [database on the Internet]. Columbia (MO): University of Missouri; 1991- [updated 2000 Apr; cited 2001 Jun 18]. Available from: http://www.agron.missouri.edu/maize_nomenclature.html

mouse

International Committee on Standardized Genetic Nomenclature for Mice. Rules for nomenclature of chromosome aberrations. In: Mouse Genome Informatics [database on the Internet]. Bar Harbor (ME): Jackson Laboratory; c2000- [cited 2001 Jun 18]. Available from: http://www.informatics.jax.org/mgihome/nomen/anomalies.shtml
International Committee on Standardized Genetic Nomenclature for Mice. Rules and guidelines for gene, allele, and mutation nomenclature. In: Mouse Genome Informatics [database on the Internet]. Bar Harbor (ME): Jackson Laboratory; c2000- [cited 2001 Jun 18]. Available from: http://www.informatics.jax.org/mgihome/nomen/gene.shtml

Neurospora crassa

Perkins DD. Neurospora genetic nomenclature. In: Perkins DD, Radford A, Sachs MS. The Neurospora compendium: chromosomal loci. San Diego (CA): Academic Press; 2000. p. 199-205. Also available from: http://www.fgsc.net/fgn46/perkins.htm [cited 2001 Jun 18].

oat

Simons MD, Martens JW, McKenzie RIH, Nishiyama I, Sadanaga K, Sebesta J, Thomas H. Oats: a standardized system of nomenclature for genes and chromosomes and catalog of genes governing characters. Washington (DC): Department of Agriculture (US); 1978. (Agriculture handbook; no. 509).

pea

Ellis TN, Ambrose M. Pea. In: Wood R, editor. Genetic nomenclature guide. West Sussex (UK): Elsevier; 1998. p. S.22-S.23.

pepper

CENL Committee for Capsicum Gene Nomenclature. Rules for gene nomenclature of Capsicum. Capsicum Eggplant Newsl. 1994;13:11-14. Also available from: http://genome.cornell.edu/solgenes/admin/nomen.caps.html [cited 2001 Jun 18].
Livingstone DL, Lackney VK, Blauth JR, van Wijk R, Jahn MK. Genome mapping in Capsicum and the evolution of genome structure in the Solanaceae. Genetics. 1999;152(3):1183-1202.

pig

Committee for the Standardized Karyotype of the Domestic Pig. Standard karyotype of the domestic pig. Hereditas. 1988;109(2):151-157.
Lopez-Corrales NL, Beattie CW, Rohrer GA. Cytogenetic assignment of 53 microsatellites from the USDA-MARC porcine genetic map. Cytogenet Cell Genet. 1999;84(1-2):140-144.

plant genes

Price CA, Reardon EM. A guide to naming sequenced plant genes [monograph on the Internet]. Piscataway (NJ): Waksman Institute; 2001 Jun 24 [cited 2001 Aug 28]. Available from: http://mbclserver.rutgers.edu/CPGN/Guide.html

plasmids

Novick RP, Clowes RC, Cohen SN, Curtiss R 3rd, Datta N, Falkow S. Uniform nomenclature for bacterial plasmids: a proposal. Bacteriol Rev. 1976;40(1):168-189.

rat

Committee for a Standardized Karyotype of Rattus norvegicus. Standard karyotype of the Norway rat, Rattus norvegicus. Cytogenet Cell Genet. 1973;12(3):199-205.
Levan G, Hedrich HJ, Remmers EF, Serikawa T, Yoshida MC. Standardized rat genetic nomenclature. Mamm Genome. 1995;6:447-448.

rice

Kinoshita T. Report of the Committee on Gene Symbolization, Nomenclature and Linkage Groups. Rice Genet Newsl. 1986;3:4-5.

ruminants

Broad TE, Dolling CHS, Lauvergne JJ, Miller P. Revised COGNOSAG guidelines for gene nomenclature in ruminants 1998. Genet Sel Evol. 1999;31:263-268.

rye

Sybenga J. Rye chromosome nomenclature and homoeology relationships: workshop report. Z Pflanzenzüchtg. 1983;80:297-304

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces Genome Database [database on the Internet]. Stanford (CA): Stanford University, School of Medicine, Department of Genetics; c1997-2001- [updated 2001 Jun 20; cited 2001 Jun 18]. Guidelines when naming S. cerevisiae genes. Available from: http://genome-www.stanford.edu/Saccharomyces/gene_guidelines.html
Sherman F. An introduction to the genetics and molecular biology of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae [monograph on the Internet]. Rochester (NY): University of Rochester Medical Center; 1998 [modified 2000 Sep 19; cited 2001 Jun 18]. Chapter 6, Genetic nomenclature. Available from: http://dbb.urmc.rochester.edu/labs/sherman_f/yeast/6.html

Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Kohli J. Genetic nomenclature and gene list of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Curr Genet. 1987;11(8):575-589.

sheep

Ansari HA, Bosma AA, Broad TE, Bunch TD, Long SE, Maher DW, Pearce PD, Popescu CP. Standard G-, Q-, and R-banded ideograms of the domestic sheep (Ovis aries): homology with cattle (Bos taurus). Report of the Committee for the Standardization of the Sheep Karyotype. Cytogenet Cell Genet. 1999;87(1-2):134-142.
Dolling CHS. Standardized genetic nomenclature for sheep. In: Piper L, Ruvinsky A, editors. The genetics of sheep. Wallingford (UK): CABI; 1997. p. 593-601.

soybean

Soybean Genetics Committee. Rules for genetic symbols. Soybean Genet Newsl. 1996;23:19-23.

tomato

Tomato Genetics Cooperative. Rules for nomenclature in tomato genetics. TGC Rep. 1992;42:6-7.

wheat

McIntosh RA, Hart GE, Devos KM, Gale MD, Rogers WJ. Catalogue of gene symbols for wheat [monograph on the Internet]. Beltsville (MD): Department of Agriculture (US), Agricultural Research Service, Plant Genome Program; 1998 [modified 1999 Sep 8; cited 2001 Jun 20]. Part 3-1, Recommended rules for gene symbolization in wheat. Available from: http://grain.jouy.inra.fr/ggpages/wgc/98/Intro.htm
Raupp WJ, Friebe B, Gill BS. Suggested guidelines for the nomenclature and abbreviation of the genetic stocks of wheat and its relatives [monograph on the Internet]. Beltsville (MD): Department of Agriculture (US), Agricultural Research Service, Plant Genome Program; [modified 2000 Aug 1; cited 2001 Jun 18]. Available from: http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/ggpages/nomenclature.html

zebrafish

Mullins M. Genetic methods: conventions for naming zebrafish genes. In: Westerfield M, editor. The zebrafish book: a guide for the laboratory use of zebrafish Danio (Brachydanio) rerio [monograph on the Internet]. 3rd ed. Eugene (OR): University of Oregon Press; 1995 [modified 2001 Feb 10; cited 2001 Jun 18]. Available from: http://zfish.uoregon.edu/zf_info/zfbook/chapt7/7.1.html
Zebrafish Nomenclature Committee. Zebrafish nomenclature guidelines [monograph on the Internet]. Eugene (OR): University of Oregon; c2001 [updated 2001 Jun 27; cited 2001 Aug 28]. Available from: http://zfin.org/zf_info/nomen.html