prnB

PrnB is a gene symbol that appears in the genomes of several organisms, and as a result it does not denote a single universal protein or function. In published genomes and gene annotations, prnB can refer to different loci depending on the organism and the annotation pipeline used. Consequently, the reported function of prnB varies: in some bacterial genomes it is annotated as a hypothetical or uncharacterized protein, while in others it is assigned a putative enzymatic or regulatory role within a neighboring operon or within a pathway labeled prn. Because gene names are not standardized across species, researchers must consult organism-specific databases (such as GenBank, RefSeq, or dedicated organism resources) and use locus tags or accession numbers to confirm which gene is being referred to by prnB.

The ambiguity of short gene symbols like prnB is common in comparative genomics and genome annotation projects. Context—particularly the organism, strain, and genomic locus—is essential for interpreting what prnB represents in a given dataset. In practice, studies that mention prnB typically provide sufficient contextual information to identify the exact gene, such as the organism name, genome accession, and the gene’s locus tag. This helps avoid misinterpretation when cross-referencing across different databases or publications.

See also

prnA, prnC, and other gene symbols that share the same organizational context in specific operons or biosynthetic clusters.