Clever Gene Names

Male mutants of the snapdragon flower are sterile, as was the legendary castrate singer Farinelli.

Kryptonite mutation suppresses the function of superman (see below). Kryptonite is the well known Achilles heel of Superman, although some sources say he has recently been cured of the allergy.

Superman mutants have extra stamens (male genitals) in their flowers. After it, another similar mutation was found, only more whimpish. It was named  clark kent. Later, however, it turned out that clark kent is only another form of superman. See also kryptonite.

As well as chablis, frascati, merlot, retsina, riesling, cabernet, grenache, chardonnay, chianti, pinotage, sauternes, weissherbst, zinfandel, freixenet and yquem: mutations in these loci cause defects in hematopoiesis (production of blood cells). See also moonshine below.

A mutation in this locus causes the embryo to be bloodless at the onset of circulation (named by the same research group as the wine genes also affecting blood cell development).

Dunce flies are impaired in learning. The name also refers to John Duns Scotus, the
founder of Scotist School in the 13th century, who was an opponent to the revival of classical learning.

Mutants don't get any progeny, as happened to the royal Tudor family.

Mutant larvae are unable to hatch. In 'The Cask of Amontillado' by Edgar Allan Poe, a man is walled-in while still alive.

(As well as valiet, tungus, barbos, laska, ikar, rogdi,  pastrel, toi, rafael, milkah, avgust, murashka, beluy, mampus, novichok, mirta, rijiy, diana, zolotistyuy, rosa, gryzun, chyorny, moladietz, dikar, nord, drujok, jack, martik, premjera, visgun, zloday.) These fly mutants have problems in long-term memory. They are named after  Ivan Pavlov's famous drooling dogs.

Malvolio gene is needed for normal taste behavior. Malvolio, in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, 'taste[d] with distempered appetite'.

The gene represses activity of the nanos gene (Greek for "dwarf"). In J.R.R. Tolkien's Hobbit, the dragon Smaug drove dwarves away from their caves.

Tinman mutants lack the heart, as did the Tin Woodman in 'Wizard of Oz'.

In the mutant, mRNA of the oskar gene gets stuck and cannot reach the posterior pole of the egg cell. William Barents was a famous explorer whose ship became frozen in the ice during an attempt to get to the North Pole in 1596.

One pole of the mitotic spindle (which arranges the chromosomes during cell division) is defective in the mutant. Robert F. Scott's Antarctic expedition ended tragically in 1913.

These mutants are have problems with gravity. Gene was found on the 40th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's historic space flight.

After the movie Monty Python and Holy Grail, in which a person taken to be buried protests: I'm not dead yet! The average life span of mutants is namely doubled.

Kojak flies lack wing bristles. Kojak (Telly Savalas), the hard-boiled cop, lacked something on his head. The gene is also known with the name shavenoid.

Developing axons of the nerve cells are abnormally projected. (Well, the name is not THAT clever, but what about the new movie, then?)

Some cells in the tribbles mutants divide uncontrollably. The name is from the original Star Trek episode 'The Trouble with Tribbles'. The more the tribbles ate, the faster they multiplied.

The 18-wheeler gene is expressed in 18 stripes in developing larva.

Mutation causes a failure in heart development. For a broken heart with nongenetic etiology, a cure is fortunately available.

The clown flies' eyes have a characteristic white and red appearence.

Some of the mutant flies have crippled legs, resembling the dachshund.

Brains of mutants deteriorate rapidly. They start walking in uncoordinated manner and soon die.

Nuclear export defects occur in embargoed mutants.