Maize Nomenclature

Consistent nomenclature is critical to cooperative research. Multiple, contradictory, non-standard names for data items like loci, stocks, and genome assemblies, create confusion and make working with multiple data sets challenging. Maize has a long history of cooperation, which includes following nomenclature recommendations.

Active Recommendations

1995-2002	anonymous transcripts, symbols, loci, alleles, RFLPs, RAPDs, deletions, transposable elements*, chromosome rearrangements, organellar genes
2006	transcription factors
2021	genomic nomenclature

Tools
Locus Search Check exising locus names before naming gene loci. Also check PubMed, Google scholar, and other resources for similar locus names that have not yet been entered in the MaizeGDB database.

Committee members

Core committee
Carlos Arbizu Contact: [email protected] Institution: National University Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas (UNTRM) (Peru) Ethy Cannon Contact: [email protected] Institution: Corn, Insects, and Crop Genetics unit, USDA-ARS (USA) Elli Cryan Contact: [email protected] Institution: UC Davis, Davis, CA (USA) Elizabeth (Toby) Kellogg Contact: [email protected] Institution: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University (USA)	Samuel Leiboff Contact: [email protected] Institution: Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University (USA) Caroline Marcon Contact: [email protected] Institution: INRES, Bonn University (Germany) Josh Strable Contact: [email protected] Institution: Iowa State University (USA) Rachel Wang Contact: [email protected] Institution: Academia Sinica (Taiwan)

Gene locus working group	Transposable elements working group
Carlos Arbizu Contact: [email protected] Institution: National University Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza de Amazonas (UNTRM) (Peru) Ethy Cannon Contact: [email protected] Institution: Corn, Insects, and Crop Genetics unit, USDA-ARS (USA) Elli Cryan Contact: [email protected] Institution: UC Davis, Davis, CA (USA) Elizabeth (Toby) Kellogg Contact: [email protected] Institution: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University (USA) Josh Strable Contact: [email protected] Institution: Iowa State University (USA) Rachel Wang Contact: [email protected] Institution: Academia Sinica (Taiwan)	Jeff Bennetzen Contact: [email protected] Institution: University of Georgia Ethy Cannon Contact: [email protected] Insitution: USDA Natasha Dhamrait Contact: [email protected] Institution: University of California at Davis Michelle Stitzer Contact: [email protected] Institution: Cornell University Meixia Zhao Contact: [email protected] Institution: University of Florida

Past committee members
William Beavis Mary Berlyn Ed Buckler Benjamin Burr Vicki Chandler Ed Coe Hugo Dooner (past chair) Charles (Chunguang) Du Christiane Fauron Curt Hannah	Lisa Harper Carolyn Lawrence Dill Mark Mikel Oliver Nelson (past chair) Mary Schaeffer (Polacco) Steve Rodermel Marty Sachs (past chair) Mike Scanlon Phil Stinard Carolyn Wetze

Active nomenclature efforts

Establishing nomenclature recommendations is an on-going project

The primary maize nomenclature recommendation was completed in 1996, with updates for new data types in 2000, 2002, 2006 (transcript factors), and 2021 (genomic data).

With the advance of new research methods, the growing international maize research community, and ever-increasing amounts of data, the MGC Board of Directors have requested that the maize nomenclature be convened to update the maize nomenclature recommendations, and to continue this effort as needs change.

Priorities

Transposable Elements
Transcription Factors
Pan-genes
SNPs
Insertions
Revisit genomic nomenclature. Is the genomic nomenclature still working, can it be improved with minimal disruption? E.g., will the 2-letter prefix continue to be sufficient as clade-wide datasets become more common? What about haploid assemblies?
Revisit locus names; policies for non-conforming names; address researchers' wish that names for the same locus identified in other species (esp. Arabidopsis) can be used for maize.

Working groups

Transposable elements working group The purpose of this working group is to estanblish a recommendation for naming transposable elements in maize.
Chair: : Michelle Stitzer Contact: [email protected] Institution: Cornell University (USA)	Status
Gene nomenclature working group The purpose of this group is to revisit the 1996 recommendation, to update where needed, and establish policies and processes for nomenclature that does not meet the existing nomenclature, or any changes made by this working group.
Chair:: Your name here! Contact: Institution:	Status 2022 letter to the MGC Board of Directors requesting a new nomenclature effort.

Here is your chance to complain!

Send an e-mail to any of the core committee members listed above, or use the feedback form.