List of unusual biological names

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This is a list of unusual biological names, given to biological inventions and discoveries. One might consider the listed names unusual due to their containing pop culture references or puns.

## Genes and proteins

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In the early days of genomics, genes were often given creative names upon discovery. A nomenclature committee later established naming guidelines, but several early names remain.[1]

Name | Explanation | Biological role

|
|

Bag-of-marbles |  |
Buttonhead |  |
Cheap date[2] | Mutations in this gene cause marked susceptibility to alcohol intoxication |
Deadpan |  |
DIABLO | Direct IAP binding protein, low |
Dreadlocks | Mutations in this gene cause cell projections to clump together like dreadlocks | Murine ortholog of Nck
Dunce | A memory-related gene | A memory-related gene associated with Rutabaga
ELMO | Engulfment and Cell Motility | Contains the family ELMO1, ELMO2, and ELMO3
Exuperantia | Named after St. Exuperantia[citation needed] | A gene associated with dividing the head and body into regions
Fizzy-related |  |
Flippase and floppase | Protein that "flips" and "flops" phosphatidylserines on the cell membrane from the inner side and the outer side, respectively |
Hedgehog signaling pathway, and the associated genes:

* Sonic hedgehog (and formerly associated with tiggywinkle hedgehog)
* Desert hedgehog
* Indian hedgehog
* Smoothened
* Frizzled
* Dishevelled
* Patched

| Named for the video game character Sonic the Hedgehog | Critical gene involved in development and tumorigenesis
Headcase[3] |  |
Hunchback |  | Mutations in hunchback cause disruptions in body shape in model organisms, such as a "hunchback"
Indy | Short for I'm not dead yet | Mutations extend the lifespan of D. Melanogaster
Ken and Barbie[4] | Mutations in the ken and barbie locus cause loss of external male and female genitalia in a fraction of homozygous flies | Drosophila gene
Lunatic Fringe, Manic Fringe, and Radical Fringe |  |
Makes caterpillars floppy | Codes for a toxin which leads to insects’ bodies breaking down | Gene in Photorhabdus luminescens
MAP kinase kinase kinase and MAP kinase kinase kinase kinase |  |
MinosPhrime[5] | Named after Minos Prime from the video game ULTRAKILL. | bacteriophage
Mothers against decapentaplegic 1–9, and the associated Daughters against dpp[6] | Takes the name from "Mothers against drunk driving" and similar campaigns | Mutations in the gene of the mother cause improper development in the offspring
Moron gene | A prophage gene that has no role in the phage's lysogenic cycle. |
NEMO | NF-kappa-B essential modulator |
Methuselah-like proteins | Named for Methuselah, extends the lifespan of an organism |
MTHFR1  | Short for METHYLENETETRAHYDROFOLATE REDUCTASE 1  | methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase MTHFR1 mRNA[7]
NUDEL-Gen | German for "Noodle" | NudE Neurodevelopment Protein 1 Like 1[8]
RING | Short for Really Interesting New Gene  |
POKEMON | POK erythroid myeloid ontogenic factor, changed to Zbtb7 after a lawsuit was threatened[9] |
Pikachurin |  |
PUMPKIN | Short for PLASTID 55 UMP KINASE | Encodes a functional UMP Kinase located in the plastid that binds to group II intron plastid transcription products. Mutants show decreased accumulation of target transcripts/proteins.[10]
Salvador |  |
Scramblase | An enzyme that "scrambles" phospholipids between the inside and outside of the cell membrane |
Slingshot homolog |  |
Slit-Robo and the associated Netrin-Frazzled |  |
SMURF1 and SMURF2, | SMAD Ubiquitination Regulatory Factor 1/2 | interacts with Mothers against decapentaplegic 7
Son of Sevenless | A protein involved in MAPK signal cascade |
SPOCK1 | Zebrafish with this mutation develop pointed-ears reminiscent of Spock |
SWEET transporters | Sugars will eventually be exported transporter  | Sugar transporters
Swiss cheese[11] | Mutations cause the brain to develop with lesions resembling Swiss cheese |
Spätzle | based on the spaetzle-like (German for a type of noodle) shape of the larvae of D. melanogaster |
Tafazzin | Named after the masochistic Italian comic character Tafazzi after alleged hardships in its discovery |
Time for Coffee[12] | Active in the night  | Regulator of circadian clock in Arabidopsis thaliana
Tinman gene | Named for the tinman, who was lacking a heart | Model organisms with mutations in tinman had cardiac abnormalities
Toll-like receptors | "Toll" is German for "Amazing", "Awesome". Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard and her colleague Prof. Eric Wieschaus sat at a double microscope that allows two people to examine the same object at the same time. When they saw an embryo mutant one day whose development was ventralised, they were both completely surprised and spontaneously exclaimed "Toll" (great). |
UNICORN |  | Regulates planar growth in Arabidopsis thaliana[13]

### Controversies

[edit]

Unusual names have caused issues for scientists explaining genetic diseases to lay-people, such as when an individual is affected by a gene with an offensive or insensitive name.[14] This has particularly been noted in patients with a defect in the sonic hedgehog gene pathway and the disease formerly named CATCH22 for "cardiac anomaly, T-cell deficit, clefting and hypocalcaemia for chromosome 22q11.2 microdeletions". This name was abandoned due to the no-win connotations.[15]

In 1993 Alfonso Martinez Arias, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, was ordered to change the name of the gene he had discovered, VELCRO, because of copyright issues with Velcro.[16] The gene was renamed to puckered.[17] In 2005, Pokémon threatened to sue the discoverer of POKEMON because the name was attracting attention when its link to the development of cancer was published.[16]

## Molecules

[edit]

* Moronic acid, a natural triterpene
* Traumatic acid, a monounsaturated dicarboxylic acid naturally occurring in plants

## Species

[edit]

Main articles: List of organisms named after famous people, List of organisms named after works of fiction, List of long species names, and List of short species names

Some species with unusual scientific names, because of length, repetition, or origin or meaning of name, include:

* Aha ha
* Anableps anableps
* Ba humbugi
* Boops boops
* Crikey steveirwini
* Cyrtodactylus australotitiwangsaensis
* Epicratinus anakin
* Epicratinus arlequina
* Epicratinus baraka
* Epicratinus dookan
* Epicratinus ehonda
* Epicratinus leia
* Epicratinus luke
* Epicratinus maozinha
* Epicratinus mauru
* Epicratinus omegarugal
* Epicratinus pegasus
* Epicratinus pikachu
* Epicratinus raiden
* Epicratinus smeagol
* Epicratinus stitch
* Epicratinus temuerai
* Epicratinus vader
* Epicratinus yoda
* Epicratinus zangief
* Epicratinus zelda
* Foa fo
* Gorilla gorilla gorilla
* Griseotyrannus aurantioatrocristatus
* Hotwheels sisyphus
* Ia io
* Megaloblatta longipennis
* Mini ature, Mini mum, and Mini scule
* Myxococcus llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogochensis
* Parastratiosphecomyia stratiosphecomyioides
* Pinus rigida
* Penstemon whippleanus
* Spongiforma squarepantsii
* Turdus maximus
* Dziwneono
* Lomankus edgecombei
* Unguinychus onyx
* Funny valentine
* Punk ferox
* Emo vorticaudum
* Wakiewakie lawsoni

Some species with unusual biological common names include:

* A.E.E.C.L.'s sportive lemur
* Bony-eared assfish
* Brother moth
* The uncertain, a species of moth
* E.T. sponge
* Slippery dick, a species of fish
* Happy Eddie, a species of shark
* Humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa
* Mountain chicken, a species of frog
* The murderer, a species of jumping spider
* Suspected, a species of moth
* Southern old lady moth
* Batman moth
* Little devil, a species of moth
* Lettuce shark, a species of moth
* Nonconformist, a species of moth
* German cousin, a species of moth
* Neighbor moth
* Bride, a species of moth
* Laugher, a species of moth
* Joker moth
* Infant, a species of moth
* Freak, a species of butterfly
* Drinker, a species of dinosaur
* Distorsio anus, a species of snail
* Dinosaurus, a genus of therapsids
* Yellow fly of the dismal swamp, a species of biting fly
* Yi qi, a species of dinosaur

## Techniques

[edit]

* Chromatin Interaction Analysis by Paired-End Tag Sequencing (ChIA-PET) is a technique to determine chromatin interactions which shares a name with Chia Pets.

* GluSnFR (Glutamate-sensitive fluorescent reporter ) ("glue-sniffer") is a genetically engineered protein used to monitor glutamate release into the synapse.

* KINC ("Kink") is a computer program used to generate co-expression networks[18]

* SHREC (single-molecule high-resolution colocalization) ("Shrek") is a modified labeling technique named after a titular character in the movie Shrek. Its older sister technique FIONA is still used as well.

* CRISPy TAKO (CRISPR Turbo Accelerated KnockOut) ("crispy taco") is a gene knockout technique useful for in vivo reverse genetic screens.

## See also

[edit]

* List of chemical compounds with unusual names

## References

[edit]

1. ^ White, Michael (September 26, 2014). "The Problem with Naming Genes". Pacific Standard. Archived from the original on February 2, 2025. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
2. ^ Moore, Monica S; Dezazzo, Jim; Luk, Alvin Y; Tully, Tim; Singh, Carol M; Heberlein, Ulrike (1998). "Ethanol Intoxication in Drosophila: Genetic and Pharmacological Evidence for Regulation by the cAMP Signaling Pathway". Cell. 93 (6): 997–1007\. doi:10.1016/S0092-8674(00)81205-2. PMID 9635429. S2CID 15312752.
3. ^ "Headcase".
4. ^ Lukacsovich, Tamas; Yuge, Kazuya; Awano, Wakae; Asztalos, Zoltan; Kondo, Shunzo; Juni, Naoto; Yamamoto, Daisuke (2003). "Theken and barbie gene encoding a putative transcription factor with a BTB domain and three zinc finger motifs functions in terminalia development of Drosophila". Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology. 54 (2): 77–94\. doi:10.1002/arch.10105. PMID 14518006.
5. ^ "Microbacterium phage MinosPhrime". The Actinobacteriophage Database. Archived from the original on 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
6. ^ "FlyBase Gene Report: Dmel\Dad".
7. ^ "TAIR - Arabidopsis". www.arabidopsis.org. Retrieved 2025-02-13.
8. ^ "NDEL1 Gene - GeneCards | NDEL1 Protein | NDEL1 Antibody". www.genecards.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
9. ^ Brendan Sinclair (2005-12-19). "Pokémon USA threatens to sue cancer researchers". GameSpot. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
10. ^ "AT3G18680(PUMPKIN)". www.arabidopsis.org. Retrieved 2024-01-26.
11. ^ Kretzschmar, D; Hasan, G; Sharma, S; Heisenberg, M; Benzer, S (1997). "The swiss cheese mutant causes glial hyperwrapping and brain degeneration in Drosophila". The Journal of Neuroscience. 17 (19): 7425–32\. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.17-19-07425.1997. PMC 6573436. PMID 9295388.
12. ^ "TIC - Protein TIME FOR COFFEE - Arabidopsis thaliana (Mouse-ear cress) - TIC gene & protein". www.uniprot.org. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
13. ^ Enugutti, Balaji; Charlotte, Kirchhelle; Oelschner, Maxi; Ruiz, Ramón Angel Torres; Schliebner, Ivo; Leister, Dario; Schneitz, Kay (2012). "Regulation of planar growth by the Arabidopsis AGC protein kinase UNICORN". PNAS. 109 (37): 15060–15065\. doi:10.1073/pnas.1205089109. PMC 3443170. PMID 22927420.
14. ^ Hopkin, Michael (2006). "Troublesome gene names get the boot". News@nature. doi:10.1038/news061106-2. S2CID 86514270.
15. ^ MacLean, Ken (2006). "Humour of gene names lost in translation to patients". Nature. 439 (7074): 266. Bibcode:2006Natur.439..266M. doi:10.1038/439266d. PMID 16421543.
16. ^ a b Simonite, Tom (2005). "Pokémon blocks gene name". Nature. 438 (7070): 897. Bibcode:2005Natur.438..897S. doi:10.1038/438897a. PMID 16355177.
17. ^ "puc puckered [ Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) ]".
18. ^ Burns, Josh; Shealy, Ben; Feltus, Alex; Smith, Melissa; Ficklin, Stephen (2019). "SystemsGenetics/KINC: Version 3.3.0". Zenodo. doi:10.5281/zenodo.3256358.