title: Nematode parasite genes: what's in a name?
abstract: The central theme of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is that names are meaningless, artificial constructs, detached from any underlying reality. By contrast, we argue that a well chosen gene name can concisely convey a wealth of relevant biological information. A consistent nomenclature adds transparency that can have a real impact on our understanding of gene function. Currently, genes in parasitic nematodes are often named ad hoc, leading to confusion that can be resolved by adherence to a nomenclature standard adapted from Caenorhabditis elegans. We demonstrate this with ligand-gated ion-channels and propose that the flood of genome data and differences between parasites and the free living C. elegans will require modification of the standard.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Parasitology, Macdonald Campus, McGill University, 21,111 Lakeshore Road, Ste Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, H9X 3V9, Canada. robin.beech@mcgill.ca
authors.forename: Robin N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Beech
authors.forename: Adrian J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Wolstenholme
authors.forename: Cédric
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Neveu
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Dent
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D009348:Nematoda / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D009626:Terminology as Topic