VI.2 Suggestions for gene symbolization, g, m, and x.
When recommending symbols for the male sterile genes it was recognized that two general types of inheritance might occur. Those that were inherited in the normal genetic fashion, i.e. that yielded a 3:1 ratio in the F2 with no differences in reciprocal crosses and those that expressed in characteristics of the maternal plant only, i.e. cytoplasmic. We suggested the use of the two symbols msg and msm respectively for the two types where the g symbolized "genetic" and the m symbolized "maternal" inheritance.
These same ending letters could be used in connection with some of the chlorophyll mutant symbols.
Originally we suggested that the shrunken endosperm mutants be designated seg and sex. The three letter symbol had not been adopted at that time and se was recommended by the International Barley Genetics Nomenclature Committee. In the three letter symbol, g would again stand for genetic, as above, and x would represent xenia where the F2 segregated in a 1:2:1 fashion, with both plump and shrunken seed in the same spike from a heterozygous Sex sex plant.
If this system were followed then the blue aleurone genes would become Blx blx and high lysine genes, if expressing xenia Lyx Lyx.
We would recommend that the third letter symbol m, g, and x be reserved for these distinctions when they are known to occur for a particular character.
We believe a symbol should provide as much information about a stock as possible.
The se gene symbols are being submitted revised to seg and sex.
Robert F. Eslick and E. A. Hockett