D. Report of the Committee on Gene Symbolization, Nomenclature and Linkage Groups

I. Report of a workshop

1) Following the rules for gene symbolization, the registration of new gene symbols is requested for researchers to protect their priority and to avoid confusion as to gene symbols. Therefore, they must send the registration form (examples are shown in every issue of RGN) and the genetical data involving F2 segregation and linkage relation to the convener, T. Kinoshita, Plant Breeding Institute, Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060, Japan.

2) Guidelines and naming for biochemical loci will be prepared by an interim committee which is newly organized by Dr. R. Wu. Naming and symbols related to DNA Restriction-Fragment-Length Polymorphisms (RFLP) will need further discussion between different groups so that a unified RFLP map will become available.

3) Dr. T. Tanisaka, (Faculty of Agriculture, Kyoto University) proposed a new system of gene symbols for heading time or flowering date. But this proposal was not fully supported by relevant scientists, and will be discussed further.

4) Dr. H. I. Oka suggested that the names Indica and Japonica (proper nouns) or indica and japonica (Latin names of subspecies) are correct, but indica and japonica (common nouns) are not appropriate. This needs further discussion.

5) A small meeting of scientists interested in the problems related to gene symbolization in rice will be organized in 1991 or 1992.

Present in the workshop were: Y. Futsuhara, M. H. Heu, N. Iwata, G. S. Khush, T. Kinoshita (chairman), S. K. Min, H. Morishima, H. I. Oka, D. Senadhira, M. E. Takahashi, G. Toenniessen, K. H. Tsai, S. S. Virmani, H. K. Wu, R. Wu, and several other participants.

The outcome of discussion and confirmed subjects will be reported in future issues of RGN.