Maize Genetics Cooperation Newsletter 80. 2006.

 

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA

USDA-ARS and University of Florida

 

Nomenclature of sucrose synthase genes and the gene products

--Chourey, PS

 

       Many single gene seed or endosperm mutants are symbolized based on their phenotype.  The simple nomenclature becomes problematic however once the corresponding gene product is identified, and more so thereafter with the usual discovery of its paralogs.  A case in point here is the shrunken 1 (sh1) seed mutant, which was first described by Hutchison (J. Hered. 12:76-83, 1921) based on the shrunken seed phenotype.  The Sh1 gene product was first identified and designated as the Sh1-protein (Schwartz, Genetics 45:1419-1427, 1960), which was later characterized as a sucrose synthase (Sus) (Chourey and Nelson, Biochem. Genet. 14:1041-1055, 1976).  Subsequent studies led to two additional non-allelic sus loci, which have been designated as sh1, sus1 and sus3 and the encoded products as SH1, SUS1 and SUS3 (Carlson et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 49:15-29, 2002).  There was however no sus2 gene in this nomenclature; so, sus3 is now called sus2.  Accordingly, it is proposed here that the corresponding protein products of sh1, sus1 and sus2 should be designated, SUS-SH1 (or SH1), SUS1 and SUS2, respectively.  Marty Sachs has agreed to incorporate this nomenclature on the MaizeGDB website.

 

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