The gene has been linked to a condition known as holoprosencephaly, which can result in severe brain, skull and facial defects, causing a few clinicians and sci

The gene has been linked to a condition known as holoprosencephaly, which can result in severe brain, skull and facial defects, causing a few clinicians and scientists to criticize the name on the grounds that it sounds too frivolous. It has been noted that mention of a mutation in a sonic hedgehog gene might not be well received in a discussion of a serious disorder with a patient or their family.[17][89][90] This controversy has largely died down, and the name is now generally seen as a humorous relic of the time before the rise of fast, cheap complete genome sequencing and standardized nomenclature.[91] The problem of the "inappropriateness" of the names of genes such as "Mothers against decapentaplegic", "Lunatic fringe", and "Sonic hedgehog" is largely avoided by using standardized abbreviations when speaking with patients and their families.[92] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_hedgehog_protein#Former_controversy_surrounding_name https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_hedgehog_protein#Former_...