Answers.Body: <p>At Ensembl, we categorise synonyms as anything that a gene might also be known as. This includes older names for them, since those names will be in the literature, including where a gene has been split in two.</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2021-07-14T11:57:48.040Z
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Emily_Ensembl
Answers.Body: <p><em>Answer from @devon-ryan, converted from comment:</em></p>
  <p>Both, that's why NAT5 is no longer a human gene symbol.</p>
  <p>NAT5 does not equal NAA20, it's an out-dated name for it. Names change over time as people realize that there are more genes for something than originally thought.</p>
  
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Body: <p>&quot;Aliases&quot; or &quot;Synonyms&quot; should represent the same gene but with different names. But when I try to find the sequence of one alias and try to match with another alias they are significantly different.</p>
  <p>During bioinformatics analysis, I need to convert NAT5 alias ID to its gene symbol ID (NAA20, NAA50). When I tried to match the sequences of NAA20 and NAA50, they are very different but still NAT5 is an alias of both NAA20 and NAA50.</p>
  <p>I have to convert one id to another id (ENSEMBL). These gene symbol and alias is so confusing.</p>
  <p>I am looking for NAT5 and when I search for NAT5 in ENSEMBL, it shows both NAA20 and NAA50.</p>
  <p>From UniProt the canonical sequence of both the proteins:</p>
  <p><a href="https://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/P61599#sequences" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/P61599#sequences</a></p>
  <p><a href="https://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/Q9GZZ1#sequences" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/Q9GZZ1#sequences</a></p>
  <p>I am confused which one to chose?</p>
  
Tags: <ensembl><identifiers><entrez>
Title: Why the gene symbol aliases have significantly different sequences?
ThreadText: # Why the gene symbol aliases have significantly different sequences?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2020-02-14)
  
  "Aliases" or "Synonyms" should represent the same gene but with different names. But when I try to find the sequence of one alias and try to match with another alias they are significantly different.
  
  During bioinformatics analysis, I need to convert NAT5 alias ID to its gene symbol ID (NAA20, NAA50). When I tried to match the sequences of NAA20 and NAA50, they are very different but still NAT5 is an alias of both NAA20 and NAA50.
  
  I have to convert one id to another id (ENSEMBL). These gene symbol and alias is so confusing.
  
  I am looking for NAT5 and when I search for NAT5 in ENSEMBL, it shows both NAA20 and NAA50.
  
  From UniProt the canonical sequence of both the proteins:
  
  <https://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/P61599#sequences>
  
  <https://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/Q9GZZ1#sequences>
  
  I am confused which one to chose?
  
  **Tags:** ensembl, identifiers, entrez
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2021-07-14. Score: 5
  
  At Ensembl, we categorise synonyms as anything that a gene might also be known as. This includes older names for them, since those names will be in the literature, including where a gene has been split in two.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2021-07-14. Score: 2
  
  *Answer from @devon-ryan, converted from comment:*
  
  Both, that's why NAT5 is no longer a human gene symbol.
  
  NAT5 does not equal NAA20, it's an out-dated name for it. Names change over time as people realize that there are more genes for something than originally thought.
  
  
  ---
  
  