how to name a gene

Question

[mm521]

I recently use flybase.org to learn bioinformatics. I just found some gene has no name or no CG name. Is there anyone could tell what does it usually mean?

Thanks.

[h.mon]

Which gene? Could you provide a link?

Please read How To Ask Good Questions On Technical And Scientific Forums.

[mm521]

http://flybase.org/reports/FBgn0265625.html This gene has no name. http://flybase.org/reports/FBgn0023433.html. l(2)4-3A gene does not have a CG number.

Thanks

[GenoMax]

This is one of the reasons eukaryotic genomes are never quite done. There are going to be some genes which have some evidence but it is not enough (or people are not actively working with that gene) to give it a formal name. The gene with no name has the following supporting evidence listed:

This gene is referred to in FlyBase by the symbol Dmel\CG44433 (FBgn0265625). It is a protein_coding_gene from Drosophila melanogaster. It has one annotated transcript and one polypeptide. Gene sequence location is 2R:18684230..18686775. It has the cytological map location 55E6.

    Its molecular function is unknown.
    The biological processes in which it is involved are not known.
    3 alleles are reported.
    No phenotypic data is available.
    No phenotypic class data is available.

Where as the second gene is reported from a mutation screen with just one report.

[mm521]

what about the gene without a CG number? CG number means computed gene? What does that mean?

Thanks

Answer 1

[h.mon]

Genes get "common" names (the Name field on Flybase) once someone study its function to some detail and baptizes it. It could be a name based on orthology, it could be a name based on the gene phenotype, it could be some horrible acronym based on its function, whaterever - but it takes someone to name it. So I guess the first gene you pointed (CG44433) did not receive particular attention so far, but had its sequence identified on the genome, so gained only a generic (probably automatic) CG name.

In addition to the well-annotated genome, Drosohila melanogaster and Flybase has a lot of data of all kinds: genetic maps, cytogenetic maps, lots of mutant strains, often with recombination information on the genomic position of the gene responsible, etc. In the case of the second gene (lethal (2) 4-3A) you asked, there are mutants showing the phenotype, and mapping information, but no gene sequence identified on the genome, hence no CG name.