Chromosome

In the nucleus of each cell, the DNA molecule is packaged into thread-like structures called chromosomes. Each chromosome is made up of DNA tightly coiled many times around proteins called histones that support its structure.

What is a Chromosome?

Chromosomes are the basic building blocks of life where the entire genome of an organism is essentially organized and stored in the form of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) which is present inside every cell making up that organism. A chromosome is a single chain of DNA that is coiled and super coiled to form dense thread-like pieces. The term chromosome is derived from the Greek words "chroma" or color and "some" or body and is so named because chromosomes have the ability to be stained with dyes.

Chromosome History

Chromosomes in Eukaryotes

Chromosomes in Prokaryotes

Chromosome Karyotype

Human Chromosomes

Chromosomal Abnormalities

Common Chromosomal Disorders (Chromosomes 1-5 and X and Y)

What is Chromosome 1?

What is Chromosome 2?

What is Chromosome 3?

What is Chromosome 4?

See more featured articles »

What is Chromosome 5?

What is the X Chromosome?

What is the Y Chromosome?

Latest Chromosome News and Research

Researchers identify first known patients with BUB1 biallelic mutations

A new study published in Science Advances described the first two patients known to have mutations in both copies of BUB1, a critical gene for cell division.

20 Jan 2022

New method reverses insecticide resistance using CRISPR/Cas9 technology

Insecticides play a central role in efforts to counter global impacts of mosquito-spread malaria and other diseases, which cause an estimated 750,000 deaths each year. These insect-specific chemicals, which cost more than $100 million to develop and bring to market, also are critical to controlling insect-driven damage on crops that poses a challenge to food security.

18 Jan 2022

New pathways responsible for hepatocellular carcinoma identified

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer. It is one of leading causes of cancer-related deaths globally, with more than 700,000 new cases and 600,000 estimated HCC deaths each year.

18 Jan 2022

Overall survival rate has nearly doubled for Ph+ ALL patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplant

For patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) carrying the Philadelphia chromosome and whose disease relapsed after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT), the two-year overall survival rate has nearly doubled from the period between 2000 and 2004 to the period between 2015 and 2019.

13 Jan 2022

Scientists discover a division of labor between genetic switches

Two X chromosomes are actually one too many. Female mammalian cells hence switch off one of them – but only when the cells start to specialize into tissues.

5 Jan 2022

Deletion of autism-linked gene diminishes myelin in mice

Myelin, a sheath of insulation around nerves that enables electrical impulses to efficiently travel through the central nervous system, is diminished in mice that have a gene deletion associated with autism spectrum disorder, new research finds.

21 Dec 2021

Study reveals chromosome-level changes that relate to drug resistance in melanoma

Precision therapies targeting melanoma and other cancers have improved patient survival, but tumors often stop responding to drugs, and recent studies point to changes in DNA – both inside and outside chromosomes – as a driving factor in tumor genesis as well as in treatment resistance.

20 Dec 2021

Correlation between idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and COVID-19

A new study investigates the genetic overlap between COVID-19 and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis to identify possible shared biological mechanisms.

14 Dec 2021

Drug combination without chemotherapy can be effective in treating older patients with Ph+ ALL

The combination of dasatinib, blinatumomab, and prednisone can be effective in treating older patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who are not good candidates for intensive chemotherapy treatment.

13 Dec 2021

SARS-CoV-2 Delta saliva viral load 15 times that of the wild type

Researchers hypothesize that a higher viral load of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in saliva contributes to its high transmissibility.

6 Dec 2021

Researchers use gene-editing to create single sex mice litters

Scientists at the Francis Crick Institute, in collaboration with University of Kent, have used gene editing technology to create female-only and male-only mice litters with 100% efficiency.

6 Dec 2021

Mutations in a crucial gene responsible for chemotherapy failure in some blood cancer patients

Mutations in a crucial gene are the key reason that chemotherapy fails in some patients with blood cancer, a study by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and Singapore General Hospital (SGH) has found.

6 Dec 2021

Telomeric DNA damage response may increase susceptibility of elderly people to COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 causes the pandemic coronavirus disease COVID-19, that is more harmful for elderly people, who show more severe symptoms and are at higher risk of hospitalization and death.

3 Dec 2021

Non-coding RNA plays a key role in regulating behavior of chromosome loops and gene expression

An important player in the healthy development of female embryos turns out also to play a key role in regulating the behavior of chromosome loops and gene expression in both sexes, according to a new study by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital.

2 Dec 2021

Researchers dissect the shared genetic architecture of suicide attempts and psychiatric disorders

In the largest genetic study of suicide attempts to date, researchers have identified a region of the genome on chromosome 7 containing DNA variations that increase the risk that a person will attempt suicide.

30 Nov 2021

Study uncovers important genetic predispositions for acute myeloid leukemia

The National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden is a joint institution of the German Cancer Research Center, the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf.

24 Nov 2021