diff --git a/frontend-js/src/main/js/map/data/ReferenceGenome.js b/frontend-js/src/main/js/map/data/ReferenceGenome.js
index 879c5f3d1d1c9248752d51c478b9c425ce8e6623..38756a6bd0341c76e46c6266e6d0ce0b7c225891 100644
--- a/frontend-js/src/main/js/map/data/ReferenceGenome.js
+++ b/frontend-js/src/main/js/map/data/ReferenceGenome.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 var ReferenceGenomeGeneMapping = require('./ReferenceGenomeGeneMapping');
 
 function ReferenceGenome(javaObject) {
-  if (javaObject !== undefined) {
+  if (javaObject !== undefined && javaObject !== null) {
     this.setType(javaObject.type);
     this.setVersion(javaObject.version);
     if (javaObject.localUrl !== undefined) {
diff --git a/frontend-js/src/test/js/map/data/ReferenceGenome-test.js b/frontend-js/src/test/js/map/data/ReferenceGenome-test.js
index 966e6057d9868bca4fc263455461602c517268af..92cac578055b4fc8eba0ee9b346d781e176ecabd 100644
--- a/frontend-js/src/test/js/map/data/ReferenceGenome-test.js
+++ b/frontend-js/src/test/js/map/data/ReferenceGenome-test.js
@@ -32,4 +32,10 @@ describe('ReferenceGenome', function() {
     var genome = new ReferenceGenome();
     assert.ok(genome);
   });
+
+  it("contructor with null arg", function() {
+    var genome = new ReferenceGenome(null);
+    assert.ok(genome);
+  });
+
 });