A revised nomenclature for the human and rodent α-tubulin gene family

An essential component of microtubules, α-tubulin is also a multigene family in many species. An orthology-based nomenclature for this gene family has previously been difficult to assign due to incomplete genome builds and the high degree of sequence similarity between members of this family. Using the current genome builds, sequence analysis of human, mouse, and rat α-tubulin genes has enabled an updated nomenclature to be generated. This revised nomenclature provides a unified language for the discussion of these genes in mammalian species; it has been approved by the gene nomenclature committees of the three species and is supported by researchers in the field. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. αand β-tubulin form heterodimers that are the basic building blocks for microtubule assembly throughout the eukaryotic superkingdom, and α-tubulin mutations have recently been associated with lissencephaly and impaired neuronal migration [1]. In contrast, while γ-tubulin is required for nucleation of the microtubule assembly, the roles of the remaining tubulin families remain less well characterized [2,3]. There are multiple copies of the α-tubulin genes in the human and rodent genomes. There is also a degree of tissue ⁎ Corresponding author. Fax: +44 1932 254105. E-mail address: [email protected] (V.K. Khodiyar). 0888-7543/$ see front matter © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ygeno.2007.04.008 specificity in the expression of some of the α-tubulins, with several mouse and human α-tubulins described as testis specific [4] or restricted to cells of a neurological origin [5]. However, mammalian nomenclature committees aim to avoid tissuespecific gene names, as these can be misleading in cases in which further studies show a more general expression pattern than originally thought. The goal of the HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC) is to assign a unique and meaningful name to every human gene. The HGNC works in close collaboration with the Mouse Genomic Nomenclature Committee (MGNC) and the Rat Genome Nomenclature Committee (RGNC) to assign