Protein named after Pokemon – Pikachurin

Pokemon and one of its most famous creatures, Pikachu, made their way into the world’s vocabulary years ago. Now, Pikachu is making its way into medical vernacular. A newly discovered protein has been dubbed “Pikachurin” by Japanese scientists.

The July 20, 2008 web edition of Nature Neuroscience (which requires a subscription to view) discussed the Osaka Bioscience Institute’s discovery of pikachurin, a protein which aids kinetic vision. The protein was named specifically for Pikachu, because of the character’s agility.