List of unusual biological names

This is a list of unusual biological names, given to biological inventions and discoveries. One might consider the listed names unusual due to their containing pop culture references or puns.

Genes and proteins

In the early days of genomics, genes were often given creative names upon discovery. A nomenclature committee later established naming guidelines, but several early names remain.[1]

NameExplanation
Bag-of-marblesHas role in regulating gamete differentiation and division of precursor cells; a null mutation may cause the gonads to appear as "Bags of marbles"
ButtonheadMutations in this gene causes head development to fail
Cheap date[2]Mutations in this gene cause marked susceptibility to alcohol intoxication
DeadpanAn essential pan-neural gene
DIABLODirect IAP binding protein, low
DreadlocksMutations in this gene cause cell projections to clump together like dreadlocks
DunceA memory-related gene associated with Rutabaga
ELMOEngulfment and Cell Motility, contains the family ELMO1, ELMO2, and ELMO3
ExuperantiaNamed after St. Exuperantia, this gene is associated with dividing the head and body into regions
Fizzy-related
Flippase and floppaseProtein that "flips" and "flops" phosphatidylserines on the cell membrane from the inner side and the outer side, respectively
Hedgehog signaling pathway, and the associated genes: Named for the video game character Sonic the Hedgehog, these are critical genes involved in development and tumorigenesis
Headcase[3]
HunchbackMutations in hunchback cause disruptions in body shape in model organisms, such as a "hunchback"
IndyShort for I'm not dead yet, mutations in this gene extend the lifespan of D. melanogaster
Ken and Barbie[4]Mutations in the ken and barbie locus of this drosophila gene cause loss of external male and female genitalia in a fraction of homozygous flies
Lunatic Fringe, Manic Fringe, and Radical Fringe
Makes caterpillars floppyGene in Photorhabdus luminescens, codes for a toxin which leads to insects’ bodies breaking down
MAP kinase kinase kinase and MAP kinase kinase kinase kinase
MinosPhrime[5]Bacteriophage named after Minos Prime from the video game ULTRAKILL.
Mothers against decapentaplegic 1–9, and the associated Daughters against dpp[6]Takes the name from "Mothers against drunk driving" and similar campaigns, mutations in the gene of the mother cause improper development in the mother's offspring
Moron geneA prophage gene that has no role in the phage's lysogenic cycle.
NEMONF-kappa-B essential modulator
Methuselah-like proteinsNamed for Methuselah, extends the lifespan of an organism
MTHFR1 Short for METHYLENETETRAHYDROFOLATE REDUCTASE 1
NUDEL-GenGerman for "Noodle", NudE Neurodevelopment Protein 1 Like 1[7]
RING Short for Really Interesting New Gene
POKEMONPOK erythroid myeloid ontogenic factor, changed to Zbtb7 after a lawsuit was threatened[8]
PikachurinNamed after Pikachu, a species and mascot of the Pokémon franchise
PUMPKINShort for PLASTID 55 UMP KINASE, encodes a functional UMP Kinase located in the plastid that binds to group II intron plastid transcription products. Mutants show decreased accumulation of target transcripts/proteins.[9]
Salvador
Scramblase[10]An enzyme that "scrambles" phospholipids between the inside and outside of the cell membrane
SisyphusPhrime[11]Arthrobacter phage named after Sisyphus Prime from the video game ULTRAKILL.
Slingshot homolog
Slit-Robo and the associated Netrin-Frazzled
SMURF1 and SMURF2,SMAD Ubiquitination Regulatory Factor 1/2, interacts with Mothers against decapentaplegic 7
Son of SevenlessA protein involved in MAPK signal cascade
SPOCK1Zebrafish with this mutation develop pointed-ears reminiscent of Spock
SWEET transporters Sugars will eventually be exported transporter, transports sugar
Swiss cheese[12]Mutations cause the brain to develop with lesions resembling Swiss cheese
Spätzlebased on the spaetzle-like (German for a type of noodle) shape of the larvae of D. melanogaster
TafazzinNamed after the masochistic comic character Tafazzi (portrayed by Giacomo Poretti, member of the Italian comedy trio Aldo, Giovanni e Giacomo) after alleged hardships in its discovery
Time for Coffee[13] Regulator of circadian clock in Arabidopsis thaliana
Tinman geneNamed for the tinman who was lacking a heart, model organisms with mutations in tinman had cardiac abnormalities
Toll-like receptors"Toll" is German for "Amazing", "Awesome". Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard and her colleague Prof. Eric Wieschaus sat at a double microscope that allows two people to examine the same object at the same time. When they saw an embryo mutant one day whose development was ventralised, they were both completely surprised and spontaneously exclaimed "Toll" (great).
UNICORNRegulates planar growth in Arabidopsis thaliana[14]
The following genes in the Arabidopsis thaliana HD-ZIP III family:
  • REVOLUTA (REV)
  • PHABULOSA (PHB)
  • PHAVOLUTA (PHV)
 REVOLUTA was first described in 1995, while PHABULOSA and PHAVOLUTA were described in 2001. PHB and PHV were intentionally given similar-sounding names to REV because of their related mutant phenotypes and functions in regulating shoot and leaf development.
The following genes related to stomata development in Arabidopsis thaliana:
  • SPEECHLESS (SPCH)
  • MUTE
  • FAMA
  • SCREAM 1/2 (SCRM1/SCRM2)
 Stomata in Arabidopsis resemble mouths under the microscope.

SPEECHLESS (SPCH), MUTE, and FAMA act sequentially during stomatal lineage development. Accordingly, SPCH mutants lack stomata; MUTE mutants arrest stomatal development at the meristemoid stage; while FAMA mutants produce clusters of overproliferated stomatal lineage cells that resemble stacked mouths. FAMA is named after Fama, the Greek goddess of rumor and fame. SCREAM1/2 (SCRM1/2) promote stomatal lineage development and, when mutated, cause an increased number of meristemoids and consequently an increased number of stomata - which appear as a field of screaming mouths.

BODENLOS (BDL) & TOPLESS (TPL) in the Arabidopsis thaliana auxin response pathway BODENLOS (BDL) means "bottomless" in German; bdl embryos fail to form the embryonic root meristem, giving rise to rootless seedlings. TOPLESS (TPL) is named for the topless mutant phenotype, in which the embryonic shoot (apical pole) is transformed into a second root (basal pole), effectively losing its "top." Both genes are involved in auxin-dependent embryonic patterning.

Controversies

Unusual names have caused issues for scientists explaining genetic diseases to lay-people, such as when an individual is affected by a gene with an offensive or insensitive name.[15] This has particularly been noted in patients with a defect in the sonic hedgehog gene pathway and the disease formerly named CATCH22 for "cardiac anomaly, T-cell deficit, clefting and hypocalcaemia for chromosome 22q11.2 microdeletions". This name was abandoned due to the no-win connotations.[16]

In 1993 Alfonso Martinez Arias, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, was ordered to change the name of the gene he had discovered, VELCRO, because of copyright issues with Velcro.[17] The gene was renamed to puckered.[18] In 2005, Pokémon threatened to sue the discoverer of POKEMON because the name was attracting attention when its link to the development of cancer was published.[17]

Molecules

Species

Some species with unusual scientific names, because of length, repetition, or origin or meaning of name, include:

Some species with unusual biological common names include:

Techniques

  • Chromatin Interaction Analysis by Paired-End Tag Sequencing (ChIA-PET) is a technique to determine chromatin interactions which shares a name with Chia Pets.
  • CRISPy TAKO (CRISPR Turbo Accelerated KnockOut) ("crispy taco") is a gene knockout technique useful for in vivo reverse genetic screens.
  • FISH (Fluorescence in situ hybridization) is a technique using fluorescent probes that bind to specific nucleic acid sequences. Fluorescence microscopy is used to detect the probes, and this can be used to find specific DNA sequences on chromosomes.[29]
  • GluSnFR (Glutamate-sensitive fluorescent reporter) ("glue-sniffer") is a genetically engineered protein used to monitor glutamate release into the synapse.
  • KINC ("Kink") is a computer program used to generate co-expression networks[30]
  • SHREC (single-molecule high-resolution colocalization) ("Shrek") is a modified labeling technique named after a titular character in the movie Shrek. Its older sister technique FIONA is still used as well.
  • TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions in Genomes) is a reverse genetics technique used to induce and find mutations in a specific gene. Developed in plants, this technique shares a name with the agricultural preparation of soil. Mutations are caused randomly in many plants (with EMS mutagenesis), and the plants are screened for mutations in the gene of interest.[31]

See also

References

  1. ↑ White, Michael (September 26, 2014). "The Problem with Naming Genes". Pacific Standard. Archived from the original on February 2, 2025. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  2. ↑ Moore, Monica S; Dezazzo, Jim; Luk, Alvin Y; Tully, Tim; Singh, Carol M; Heberlein, Ulrike (1998). "Ethanol Intoxication in Drosophila: Genetic and Pharmacological Evidence for Regulation by the cAMP Signaling Pathway". Cell. 93 (6): 997–1007. doi:10.1016/S0092-8674(00)81205-2. PMID 9635429. S2CID 15312752.
  3. ↑ "Headcase".
  4. ↑ Lukacsovich, Tamas; Yuge, Kazuya; Awano, Wakae; Asztalos, Zoltan; Kondo, Shunzo; Juni, Naoto; Yamamoto, Daisuke (2003). "Theken and barbie gene encoding a putative transcription factor with a BTB domain and three zinc finger motifs functions in terminalia development of Drosophila". Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology. 54 (2): 77–94. doi:10.1002/arch.10105. PMID 14518006.
  5. ↑ "Microbacterium phage MinosPhrime". The Actinobacteriophage Database. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  6. ↑ "FlyBase Gene Report: Dmel\Dad". flybase.org.
  7. ↑ "NDEL1 Gene - GeneCards | NDEL1 Protein | NDEL1 Antibody". genecards.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  8. ↑ Sinclair, Brendan (2005-12-19). "Pokémon USA threatens to sue cancer researchers". GameSpot. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
  9. ↑ "AT3G18680(PUMPKIN)". arabidopsis.org. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  10. ↑ Wu, Ning; Veillette, André (2023). "Lipid scrambling in immunology: why it is important". Cellular & Molecular Immunology. 20 (9): 1081–1083. doi:10.1038/s41423-023-01009-w. ISSN 2042-0226. PMC 10071233. PMID 37012395.
  11. ↑ "Arthrobacter phage SisyphusPhrime". The Actinobacteriophage Database.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ↑ Kretzschmar, D; Hasan, G; Sharma, S; Heisenberg, M; Benzer, S (1997). "The swiss cheese mutant causes glial hyperwrapping and brain degeneration in Drosophila". The Journal of Neuroscience. 17 (19): 7425–32. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.17-19-07425.1997. PMC 6573436. PMID 9295388.
  13. ↑ "TIC - Protein TIME FOR COFFEE - Arabidopsis thaliana (Mouse-ear cress) - TIC gene & protein". uniprot.org. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  14. ↑ Enugutti, Balaji; Charlotte, Kirchhelle; Oelschner, Maxi; Ruiz, Ramón Angel Torres; Schliebner, Ivo; Leister, Dario; Schneitz, Kay (2012). "Regulation of planar growth by the Arabidopsis AGC protein kinase UNICORN". PNAS. 109 (37): 15060–15065. doi:10.1073/pnas.1205089109. PMC 3443170. PMID 22927420.
  15. ↑ Hopkin, Michael (2006). "Troublesome gene names get the boot". News@nature. doi:10.1038/news061106-2. S2CID 86514270.
  16. ↑ MacLean, Ken (2006). "Humour of gene names lost in translation to patients". Nature. 439 (7074): 266. Bibcode:2006Natur.439..266M. doi:10.1038/439266d. PMID 16421543.
  17. 1 2 Simonite, Tom (2005). "Pokémon blocks gene name". Nature. 438 (7070): 897. Bibcode:2005Natur.438..897S. doi:10.1038/438897a. PMID 16355177.
  18. ↑ "puc puckered [Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly)] - Gene - NCBI". www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  19. ↑ https://fishbase.se/summary/Careproctus-comus
  20. ↑ https://www.fishbase.se/ComNames/69
  21. ↑ https://www.eol.org/pages/46572290
  22. ↑ https://fishbase.se/ComNames/1139
  23. ↑ http://www.briancoad.com/complete%20list.htm
  24. ↑ https://www.fishbase.se/ComNames/19
  25. ↑ https://www.fishbase.se/ComNames/8065
  26. ↑ https://www.fishbase.se/ComNames/8069
  27. ↑ https://www.fishbase.se/ComNames/1356
  28. ↑ https://www.gbif.org/taxon/7537K
  29. ↑ Amann R, Fuchs BM (May 2008). "Single-cell identification in microbial communities by improved fluorescence in situ hybridization techniques". Nature Reviews. Microbiology. 6 (5): 339–348. doi:10.1038/nrmicro1888. PMID 18414500. S2CID 22498325.
  30. ↑ Burns, Josh; Shealy, Ben; Feltus, Alex; Smith, Melissa; Ficklin, Stephen (2019). "SystemsGenetics/KINC: Version 3.3.0". Zenodo. doi:10.5281/zenodo.3256358.
  31. ↑ Colbert, T.; Till, B. J.; Tompa, R.; Reynolds, S.; Steine, M. N.; Yeung, A. T.; McCallum, C. M.; Comai, L.; Henikoff, S. (2001-06-01). "High-throughput screening for induced point mutations". Plant Physiology. 126 (2): 480–484. doi:10.1104/pp.126.2.480. ISSN 0032-0889. PMC 1540114. PMID 11402178.
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