A Report on the International Nomenclature Workshop held May 1997 at The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA

Scientists, whether species gene mappers or biological database developers, are looking for consistency and stability in the naming of genomic segments. For mammalian genome groups, this means relaxing the insistence on constant name revisions, allowing the functional and location information to be encoded elsewhere in the databases through the development of improved classification systems and controlled vocabularies. For gene discoverers, it means cooperation to determine unique gene designations without imposing too much knowledge in the naming process. For both groups, the power of database connections and structures needs to be exploited further to facilitate use of the massive amount of biological data being encoded. This workshop allowed the voices of many active participants in the naming and mapping of genes to be heard. The discussions reflected the intense interest in the stabilization of gene names despite the rapid advances in our knowledge of gene function and evolutionary relationships. Relaxation of the constraints and conventions on the gene naming effort that required the encapsulation of gene function or other attributes in the symbol will promote stability in the naming efforts. The development of multiple classifications and more robust database structures to support the information explosion releases the gene names from constantly changing to reflect our current knowledge. The gain in stability of gene nomenclature will be a welcome result. Copyright © 1997 by Academic Press.