The
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (
HGNC) is a committee of the
Human Genome Organisation (HUGO) that sets the
standards for human
gene nomenclature. The HGNC approves a
unique and
meaningful name for every known human
gene, based on a query of experts. In addition to the name, which is usually 1 to 10 words long, the HGNC also assigns a symbol (a short group of characters) to every gene. As with an
SI symbol, a gene symbol is like an abbreviation but is more than that, being a second unique name that can stand on its own just as much as substitute for the longer name. It may not necessarily "stand for" the initials of the name, although many gene symbols do reflect that origin.