Plant Physiol, November 2001, Vol. 127, pp. 703-703
EDITORIAL
Renaming Genes and Duplication of Gene Names in the
Literature
The November 2001 issue of The
Plant Cell includes a letter to the editor from Sheng Luan and
colleagues regarding the renaming of genes and duplication of gene
names in the literature. Plant Physiology joins with
The Plant Cell in recognizing gene nomenclature as an
important issue and fully supports adherence to convention for naming
genes. The policy of Plant Physiology will also be changed
to address this issue and to help avoid problems such as those
discussed by Luan et al. As of the January 2002 issue, publication in
Plant Physiology will require authors who are introducing new gene or protein nomenclature to submit a statement that outlines possible conflicts or confusion regarding their nomenclature and confirms that they have consulted the literature and other resources before naming their gene(s). The first published use of a gene name has
priority and should be used. Authors must provide a detailed explanation for using a new or different name for a mutant, gene, or
protein that has been named previously.
For Arabidopsis mutant genes, authors must follow the guidelines for
naming genes outlined by Meinke and Koornneef (1997)
and register new
mutant gene symbols with David Meinke (see
http://www.Arabidopsis.org/links/nomenclature.html). This URL
also provides other useful information and links on plant gene and
protein classification.
Other resources that are available on plant gene nomenclature
include
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FOOTNOTES |
www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/doi/10.1104/pp.900009.
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LITERATURE CITED |
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 LITERATURE CITED
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Natasha Raikhel
Editor-in-Chief
Plant Physiology
© 2001 American Society of Plant Physiologists
