Why is the gene symbol in a RefSeq record sometimes different from the symbol used in related GenBank records?
RefSeq records use the terminology defined by the original GenBank submission, collaborating group, or by an official nomenclature group for the organism. For example, for the human RefSeq collection uses gene symbols and names supplied by the HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee; records may also include alternate symbols and names, when available. GenBank is an archive of publicly available sequence records that were submitted by the originators of the data. Submitters of GenBank records maintain editorial control over their records and decide which gene symbol to use. Some authors consult with the nomenclature committees associated with the organism from which they sequenced a gene to obtain an official gene symbol for that organism. Other authors might not do that, or might not update their submitted records if the official name changes. Therefore, it is possible that GenBank records for a given gene will use different gene symbols.
