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II. Genetic Symbols and Nomenclature A report of the Nomenclature Commission of the Genetics Section, I.U.B.S., at the XIIth International Congress of Genetics, Tokyo, August 28, 1968 Meeting of the Nomenclature Commission were held on August 21 and 26, 1968 and an open meeting was called on August 24 which was attended by 22 members of the XIIth International Congress of Genetics who represented a variety of field. At these meetings the following topics were discussed and recommendations were approved as indicated below. 1. The rules for symbolization contained in the Report of the International Committee on Genetic Symbols and Nomenclature (See I.U.B.S. Series B, 30: 6, 1957) were reviewed. The amendment proposed by Professor Y. TANAKA, that the italicized + in articles 5 and 11 be written without italics, was sympathetically received but no action was taken because most publishers do not have this symbol in italics. Professor K. YAMASHITA explained that in reprinting the report on rules mentioned above in Wheat Information Service 8: 24-27, 1959, no spaces were shown between the gene symbols in the table part of rule 11, although, they are present in the original. Other rules were discussed but no formal action was taken on them. 2. Our attention was drawn to the use of the symbol male for female in the publication "Standard nomenclature for imbred strains of mice" (Cancer Res. 24: 147-151, 1964). This usage was not regarded favourably. 3. It was agreed, as recommended by Professor Y. TANAKA, that when parents of a cross are written, the female parent should be listed first. When this is not done the system of listing should be specified. 4. There was general support for Professor Y. TANAKA's proposal that a newly studied gene of a mutant should be named and symbolized with words or letters suggestive of its characteristics and that person's names or nonsence names should be avoided. 5. There was also support of Professor Y. TANAKA's suggestion that the rules adopted during this meeting and approved by the Congress should be published in genetic periodicals which have extensive circulation. 6. Professor T. YAMAMOTO was asked to contact other fish geneticists in an attempt to work out a uniform system of symbols for sex and sex chromosomes in fish. 7. The suggestion of Professor E. HADORN, that any cytoplasmic designation should be given in square brackets and should precede the nuclear symbols, was favourably received. 8. Professor J. W. BOYES requested additions to the list of publications regarding genetic nomenclature, symbolization and terminology that he is preparing for distribution. 9. There was general agreement that a publication containing reprints of reports, or excerpts from reports etc., on the practice regarding nomenclature, symbolization and terminology in different fields of genetics, as proposed by Professor J. W. BOYES, would be useful. Some funds are available for this purpose and an effort will be made to obtain further funds if necessary. 10. It was unanimously agreed that the Nomenclature Commission cannot undertake to legislate on general rules at this time and that our approval is no more than an expression of support of the recommendations brought to us. 11. Members of the Nomenclature Commission: J.R.A. FINCHAM, S.J. GEERTS, E. HADORN, C. STERN, K. YAMASHITA and J.W. BOYES (Chairman). (Received August 28, 1968) |