Pokemon USA threat leads to gene name change

Iria · Dec 19, 2005, 08:37 PM

The name of a cancer-causing gene has been changed from "Pokemon" to Zbtb7 after Pokemon USA threatened legal action to keep scientists from referring to the gene by the game's name, according to an article in the science journal Nature.

In January's issue, geneticist Pier Paolo Pandolfi of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York describes the cancer-causing POK erythroid myeloid ontogenic gene, calling it Pokemon.

The gene in question is part of the POK gene family that encodes proteins that turn off other genes. POK proteins are critical in embryonic development, cellular differentiation, and oncogenesis, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Non-plussed by the rush of headlines proclaiming "Pokemon causes cancer," Nintendo subsidiary Pokemon USA threatened legal action against the center to have the name of its popular game and trading card series disassociated from the gene, reports the latest issue of Nature. The cancer center has complied with Pokemon USA's demands, and now refers to the gene by the much-less-catchy moniker Zbtb7, Nature reports.
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Dec 19, 2005, 08:37 PM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 89	Pokemon USA threat leads to gene name change The name of a cancer-causing gene has been changed from "Pokemon" to Zbtb7 after Pokemon USA threatened legal action to keep scientists from referring to the gene by the game's name, according to an article in the science journal Nature. In January's issue, geneticist Pier Paolo Pandolfi of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York describes the cancer-causing POK erythroid myeloid ontogenic gene, calling it Pokemon. The gene in question is part of the POK gene family that encodes proteins that turn off other genes. POK proteins are critical in embryonic development, cellular differentiation, and oncogenesis, according to the National Cancer Institute. Non-plussed by the rush of headlines proclaiming "Pokemon causes cancer," Nintendo subsidiary Pokemon USA threatened legal action against the center to have the name of its popular game and trading card series disassociated from the gene, reports the latest issue of Nature. The cancer center has complied with Pokemon USA's demands, and now refers to the gene by the much-less-catchy moniker Zbtb7, Nature reports. ____________ Read More / Source: News.com