{{Short description|Committee for human gene name standards}} {{infobox biodatabase |title = HGNC |logo = center |description = '''HGNC''' is responsible for approving unique symbols and names for human loci, including protein coding genes, RNA genes and pseudogenes, to allow unambiguous scientific communication. |scope = Gene nomenclature |organism = Human |center = EMBL-EBI, UK; |laboratory = |author = |citation = Braschi et al. (2019)<ref name="pmid30304474">{{cite journal | vauthors = Braschi B, Denny P, Gray K, Jones T, Seal R, Tweedie S, Yates B, Bruford E | display-authors = 6 | title = Genenames.org: the HGNC and VGNC resources in 2019 | journal = Nucleic Acids Research | volume = 47 | issue = D1 | pages = D786–D792 | date = January 2019 | pmid = 30304474 | pmc = 6324057 | doi = 10.1093/nar/gky930 }}</ref> |released = |standard = |format = |url = {{URL|www.genenames.org}}<br />{{URL|www.genenames.org/news}} |download = {{URL|https://www.genenames.org/download/statistics-and-files/|Statistics & Downloads}}<br />{{URL|https://www.genenames.org/download/custom/|Custom Downloads}}<br />{{URL|https://biomart.genenames.org/|HGNC Biomart}} |webservice = {{URL|rest.genenames.org}} |sql = |sparql = |webapp = {{URL|https://www.genenames.org/tools/hcop/|HGNC Comparison of Orthology Predictions}},<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Wright MW, Eyre TA, Lush MJ, Povey S, Bruford EA | title = HCOP: the HGNC comparison of orthology predictions search tool | journal = Mammalian Genome | volume = 16 | issue = 11 | pages = 827–8 | date = November 2005 | pmid = 16284797 | doi = 10.1007/s00335-005-0103-2 | s2cid = 1091618 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Eyre TA, Wright MW, Lush MJ, Bruford EA | title = HCOP: a searchable database of human orthology predictions | journal = Briefings in Bioinformatics | volume = 8 | issue = 1 | pages = 2–5 | date = January 2007 | pmid = 16951416 | doi = 10.1093/bib/bbl030 | doi-access = }}</ref> {{URL|https://www.genenames.org/tools/search/|Search}} |standalone = |license = |versioning = |frequency = |curation = Yes |bookmark = |version= }} The '''HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee''' ('''HGNC''') is a committee of the Human Genome Organisation (HUGO) that sets the standards for human gene nomenclature. The HGNC approves a unique name for every known human gene,<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.genenames.org/about/overview | title=About the HGNC | HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee | access-date=2018-03-23 | archive-date=2023-03-26 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326032945/https://www.genenames.org/about/overview }}</ref><ref name="bruford">{{cite journal |last1=Bruford |first1=Elspeth A. |last2=Braschi |first2=Bryony |last3=Denny |first3=Paul |last4=Jones |first4=Tamsin E. M. |last5=Seal |first5=Ruth L. |last6=Tweedie |first6=Susan |title=Guidelines for human gene nomenclature |journal=Nature Genetics |date=August 2020 |volume=52 |issue=8 |pages=754–758 |doi=10.1038/s41588-020-0669-3|pmid=32747822 |pmc=7494048 }}</ref> based on a query of experts. In addition to the name, which is usually 1 to 10 words long, the HGNC also assigns a symbol (a short group of characters) to every gene. As with an SI symbol, a gene symbol is like an abbreviation but is more than that, being a second unique name that can stand on its own just as much as substitute for the longer name. It may not necessarily "stand for" the initials of the name, although many gene symbols do reflect that origin.
== Purpose == Full gene names, and especially gene abbreviations and symbols, are often not specific to a single gene. A marked example is CAP which can refer to any of 6 different genes (''[https://www.genenames.org/data/hgnc_data.php?hgnc_id=13575 BRD4] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131027084955/http://www.genenames.org/data/hgnc_data.php?hgnc_id=13575 |date=2013-10-27 }}'', ''[https://www.genenames.org/data/hgnc_data.php?hgnc_id=20040 CAP1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102135041/http://www.genenames.org/data/hgnc_data.php?hgnc_id=20040 |date=2013-11-02 }}'', ''[https://www.genenames.org/data/hgnc_data.php?hgnc_id=9639 HACD1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007140055/http://www.genenames.org/data/hgnc_data.php?hgnc_id=9639 |date=2013-10-07 }}'', ''[https://www.genenames.org/data/hgnc_data.php?hgnc_id=6656 LNPEP] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913231946/http://www.genenames.org/data/hgnc_data.php?hgnc_id=6656 |date=2012-09-13 }}'', ''[https://www.genenames.org/data/hgnc_data.php?hgnc_id=8950 SERPINB6] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008024537/http://www.genenames.org/data/hgnc_data.php?hgnc_id=8950 |date=2013-10-08 }}'', and ''[https://www.genenames.org/data/hgnc_data.php?hgnc_id=14565 SORBS1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012033246/http://www.genenames.org/data/hgnc_data.php?hgnc_id=14565 |date=2012-10-12 }}'').
The HGNC short gene names, or gene symbols, unlike previously used or published symbols, are specifically assigned to one gene only. This can result in less common abbreviations being selected but reduces confusion as to which gene is referred to.
== Naming guidelines == The HGNC published its latest human gene naming guidelines in 2020.<ref name="bruford" /> These may be summarized as:<ref name="guidelines">{{cite web |title=HGNC Guidelines {{!}} HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee |url=https://www.genenames.org/about/guidelines/ |website=www.genenames.org |access-date=26 April 2021}}</ref> # gene symbols must be unique # symbols should only contain Latin letters and Arabic numerals # symbols should not contain punctuation or "G" for gene # symbols do not contain any reference to the species they are encoded in, i.e. "H/h" for human
The HGNC states that "gene nomenclature should ''evolve with new technology'' rather than be restrictive, as sometimes occurs when historical and single gene nomenclature systems are applied."<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Shows TB, McAlpine PJ, Boucheix C, Collins FS, Conneally PM, Frézal J, Gershowitz H, Goodfellow PN, Hall JG, Issitt P, Jones CA, Knowles BB, Lewis M, McKusick VA, Meisler M, Morton NE, Rubenstein P, Schanfield MS, Schmickel RD, Skolnick MH, Spence MA, Sutherland GR, Traver M, Van Cong N, Willard HF | display-authors = 6 | title = Guidelines for human gene nomenclature. An international system for human gene nomenclature (ISGN, 1987) | journal = Cytogenetics and Cell Genetics | volume = 46 | issue = 1–4 | pages = 11–28 | year = 1987 | pmid = 3507270 | doi = 10.1159/000132471 | pmc = 7494048 }}</ref> The HGNC has also issued guides to specific locus types such as endogenous retroviral loci,<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Mayer J, Blomberg J, Seal RL | title = A revised nomenclature for transcribed human endogenous retroviral loci | journal = Mobile DNA | volume = 2 | issue = 1 | page = 7 | date = May 2011 | pmid = 21542922 | pmc = 3113919 | doi = 10.1186/1759-8753-2-7 | doi-access = free }}</ref> structural variants<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Seal RL, Wright MW, Gray KA, Bruford EA | title = Vive la différence: naming structural variants in the human reference genome | journal = Human Genomics | volume = 7 | page = 12 | date = May 2013 | issue = 1 | pmid = 23634723 | pmc = 3648363 | doi = 10.1186/1479-7364-7-12 | doi-access = free }}</ref> and non-coding RNAs.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Wright MW, Bruford EA | title = Naming 'junk': human non-protein coding RNA (ncRNA) gene nomenclature | journal = Human Genomics | volume = 5 | issue = 2 | pages = 90–8 | date = January 2011 | pmid = 21296742 | pmc = 3051107 | doi = 10.1186/1479-7364-5-2-90 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Wright MW | title = A short guide to long non-coding RNA gene nomenclature | journal = Human Genomics | volume = 8 | issue = 1 | page = 7 | date = April 2014 | pmid = 24716852 | pmc = 4021045 | doi = 10.1186/1479-7364-8-7 | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Seal R, Chen L, Griffiths-Jones S, Lowe TM, Mathews MB, O'Reilly D, Pierce AJ, Stadler PF, Ulitsky I, Wolin SL, Bruford EA | title = A guide to naming human non-coding RNA genes | journal = EMBO J | volume = 39 | date = Feb 2020 | issue = 6 | article-number = e103777 | pmid = 32090359 | pmc = 7073466 | doi = 10.15252/embj.2019103777 }}</ref>
== Naming procedure == When assigning new gene nomenclature the HGNC make efforts to contact authors who have published on the human gene in question by email, and their responses to the proposed nomenclature are requested. HGNC also coordinates with the related Mouse and Rat Genomic Nomenclature Committees, other database curators, and experts for given specific gene families or sets of genes.
== Revision == The gene name revision procedure is similar to the naming procedure, but changing a standardized gene name after establishment of a consensus can create confusion, therefore the merit of this is controversial. For this reason the HGNC aims to change a gene name only if agreement for that change can be reached among a majority of researchers working on that gene.
== See also == {{col-begin}} {{col-break}} * Human Genome Organisation (HUGO) * Human Genome Project * Human genome * Gene * Gene nomenclature {{col-break}} A complete list of all HGNC-approved gene symbols for protein-coding genes: *List of human protein-coding genes 1 *List of human protein-coding genes 2 *List of human protein-coding genes 3 *List of human protein-coding genes 4 {{col-end}}
== References == {{Reflist|2}}
== External links == {{Wikidata property|P353|P354}} * [https://www.genenames.org/ HGNC homepage] * [http://www.hugo-international.org/ HUGO homepage]
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Category:Biological nomenclature Category:Genetics databases Category:Genetics in the United Kingdom Category:Genetics organizations Category:Science and technology in Cambridgeshire Category:South Cambridgeshire District