Sir
The choice of a gene name can have unforeseen consequences in addition to infringement of trademark (“Pokémon blocks gene name” Nature 438, 897; 2005). The quirky sense of humour that researchers display in choosing a gene name often loses much in translation when people facing serious illness or disability are told that they or their child have a mutation in a gene such as Sonic hedgehog, Slug or Pokemon.
As with the acronym CATCH22 (from ‘cardiac anomaly, T-cell deficit, clefting and hypocalcaemia’) for chromosome 22q11.2 microdeletions, which was abandoned because of its no-win connotations (J. Burn J. Med. Genet. 36, 737–738; 1999), researchers need to be mindful when naming genes and syndromes.
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Maclean, K. Humour of gene names lost in translation to patients. Nature 439, 266 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/439266d
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/439266d
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