EditorialThe importance of being Earnest: I can't glean which gene you meanAndrew S. GreeneAndrew S. GreeneBiotechnology and Bioengineering Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WisconsinPublished Online:01 Feb 2011https://doi.org/10.1152/physiolgenomics.00252.2010This is the final version - click for previous versionMoreSectionsPDF (28 KB)Download PDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesGet permissionsTrack citations in his 1895 play “The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” Oscar Wilde creates a farce based around the characters inventing new identities and misrepresenting themselves. The play should remind us about our scientific responsibility in the age of systems biology.In a recent issue of Physiological Genomics, we see an example of the confusion about identity that can occur in our modern scientific world. In their article, “Interaction between SNPs in the NRF2 gene and elite endurance performance,” Eynon et al. (1) confused two genes with similar names, resulting in errors in the interpretation of their data. Fortunately, this error was not central to their study, was quickly detected, and a Corrigendum was published (2).This problem is not isolated. Databases are full of historical names and annotations that carry with them the fits and starts of scientific discovery and validation. Through a careful and systematic process gene names have been changed, shortened, merged, and their annotations updated. In some cases, fanciful names have been eliminated and replaced only by their initials (3). Errors in sequence, lack of specificity in some of the early microarray probe sets coupled with poor or incomplete annotation contribute to this problem. While these problems are widely recognized, confusion persists in the literature.We appreciate that modern systems biological approaches rely on the accurate identification and annotation of genes and proteins. Our journal promotes these approaches, and we hope that our authors will take advantage of the power that is inherent in the explosion of information about genes and their products. Yet the lag in our ability to properly name and annotate these pathways forces authors to be cautious in their reliance on databases and commercial annotations. Although it remains the responsibility of authors to be sure that the annotation they are using is correct and up to date, we believe that our journal should do more to facilitate the use of what has now become an essential element of the modern science of Physiology.As a journal that serves the members of the American Physiological Society and the broader scientific community, we would like to begin a dialog on how we can work together to help rectify this problem of confusion. A number of things are possible. One that we would propose is to ask authors of papers submitted to Physiological Genomics to use only the approved gene names and to provide some key pieces of annotation that would help database curators to properly categorize the published work. This would have the added benefit of more rapidly getting results and their associated citations into the databases where they would be more widely visible. We could facilitate this by recognizing an authoritative source such as HUGO (http://www.genenames.org/) for human gene names, RGD (http://rgd.mcw.edu) for rat, and MGI (http://www.informatics.jax.org/) for mouse. Many other things are also possible.Let's have a conversation about this. We are opening up a dialog with our community through our website (http://www.physgenforum.org) and our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/physiological.genomics). As Editor, I would appreciate other suggestions about how Physiological Genomics can work with authors in earnest to assure the proper use of databases and annotation and help put our publications back on the solid footing and avoid the confusing and deceptive world Oscar Wilde created.DISCLOSURESNo conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, are declared by the author(s).REFERENCES1. Eynon N , Alves AJ , Sagiv M , Yamin C , Sagiv M , Meckel Y. Interaction between SNPs in the NRF2 gene and elite endurance performance. Physiol Genomics 41: 78–81, 2010.Link | ISI | Google Scholar2. Eynon N , Alves AJ , Sagiv M , Yamin C , Sagiv M , Meckel Y. Corrigendum. Physiol Genomics 42A:78, 2010.Link | ISI | Google Scholar3. Hopkin M. Troublesome gene names get the boot. Nature doi:10.1038/news061106-2.Google ScholarAUTHOR NOTESAddress for reprint requests and other correspondence: A. S. Greene, Biotechnology & Bioengineering Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53226 (e-mail: [email protected]edu). Download PDF Back to Top Next FiguresReferencesRelatedInformation More from this issue > Volume 43Issue 4February 2011Pages 187-187 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2011 the American Physiological Societyhttps://doi.org/10.1152/physiolgenomics.00252.2010PubMed21177385History Received 17 December 2010 Accepted 20 December 2010 Published online 1 February 2011 Published in print 1 February 2011 Metrics