Chromosome

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For a non-technical introduction to the topic, see Introduction to genetics.

Diagram of a replicated and condensedmetaphase eukaryotic chromosome. (1) Chromatid one of

the two identical parts of the chromosome afterS phase. (2) Centromere the point where the two
chromatids touch. (3) Short arm. (4) Long arm.
A chromosome is packaged and organized chromatin, a complex of macromolecules found in cells,
consisting of DNA and protein. The main information-carrying macromolecule is a single piece of
coileddouble-stranded DNA, containing many genes, regulatory elements and other noncoding
DNA. The DNA-bound macromolecules are proteins, which serve to package the DNA and control
its functions. Chromosomes vary widely between different organisms. Some species also
contain plasmids or other extrachromosomal DNA.
Compaction of the duplicated chromosomes during cell division (mitosis or meiosis) results either
in a four-arm structure (pictured to the right) if the centromere is located in the middle of the
chromosome or a two-arm structure if the centromere is located near one of the ends. Chromosomal
recombination during meiosis and subsequent sexual reproduction plays a vital role in genetic
diversity. If these structures are manipulated incorrectly, through processes known as chromosomal
instability and translocation, the cell may undergo mitotic catastrophe and die, or it may
unexpectedly evade apoptosisleading to the progression of cancer.
In prokaryotes (see nucleoids) and viruses, the DNA is often densely packed and organized. In the
case of archaea by homologs to eukaryotic histones, in the case of bacteria by histone-like proteins.
Small circular genomes called plasmids are often found in bacteria and also
in mitochondria and chloroplasts, reflecting their bacterial origins.
[1]

Human chromosomes

Chromosomes in humans can be divided into two types: autosomes and sex chromosomes. Certain
genetic traits are linked to a person's sex and are passed on through the sex chromosomes. The
autosomes contain the rest of the genetic hereditary information. All act in the same way during cell
division. Human cells have 23 pairs of chromosomes (22 pairs of autosomes and one pair of sex
chromosomes), giving a total of 46 per cell. In addition to these, human cells have many hundreds
of copies of the mitochondrial genome. Sequencing of the human genome has provided a great deal
of information about each of the chromosomes. Below is a table compiling statistics for the
chromosomes, based on the Sanger Institute's human genome information in the Vertebrate
Genome Annotation (VEGA) database. Number of genes is an estimate as it is in part based
on gene predictions. Total chromosome length is an estimate as well, based on the estimated size of
unsequenced heterochromatin regions.
[18]

How many chromosomes do people have?

In humans, each cell normally contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, for a total of 46. Twenty-two of
these pairs, called autosomes, look the same in both males and females. The 23rd pair, the sex
chromosomes, differ between males and females. Females have two copies of the X chromosome,
while males have one X and one Y chromosome.

The 22 autosomes are numbered by size. The other two chromosomes, X and Y, are the sex
chromosomes. This picture of the human chromosomes lined up in pairs is called a karyotype.