When you refer to a gene in a research paper, a press release, a news article, or any other form of media, you should include its approved gene name, and preferably its approved gene symbol. By providing these names, you will make the information easier to understand. These gene names and symbols must be unique to avoid confusion between different human genes. To make sure that a gene symbol is unique, we check the gene’s approved symbol against all other human gene symbols to make sure that it does not already exist. Approved gene symbols are added to Entrez Gene and the HGNC website, where they are Peroxyredoxin listed under their approved gene name. Approved names and symbols for genes are assigned independently and they cannot be changed later without approval.
When you create new genes, the HGNC has responsibility for deciding which names and symbols are acceptable for use. The HGNC is responsible for making sure that gene names are unique. We also give approval to short forms, such as “APC”, “CPA”, “FEN”, and “FES”. These short forms are used to designate a gene in a press release or scientific paper. It is important to check these short forms carefully before using them. Some companies that create new genes use abbreviations that are not acceptable for HGNC gene symbols.
