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.

What is Chromosome 2?

What is the Y Chromosome?

Chromosome History

What is Chromosome 5?

What is Chromosome 1?

What is the X Chromosome?

Human Chromosomes

Chromosome Karyotype

What is Chromosome 4?

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

Chromosomes in Eukaryotes

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Chromosomes in Prokaryotes

Chromosomal Abnormalities

What is Chromosome 3?

Latest Chromosome News and Research

Obesity health risks differ significantly between men and women

New research being presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May), reveals distinct patterns of heart, metabolic, and inflammatory health risks between men and women living with obesity, providing an insight into how clinicians may be able to tailor management approaches.

13 Apr 2026

Mutations in RNU2-2 gene linked to neurodevelopmental disorders

A seminal study from researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and their collaborators in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, and Iceland has uncovered a new genetic cause of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs).

11 Apr 2026

Genetic variants may help explain who loses more weight and who gets side effects on GLP-1 drugs

A large 23andMe-based GWAS found that common variants in GLP1R and GIPR help explain why some people lose more weight or experience more nausea and vomiting on GLP-1 drugs. The findings suggest genetics may eventually help predict who responds best to semaglutide or tirzepatide and who is more likely to develop side effects.

9 Apr 2026

Study reveals how hyperdiploidy creates rare pre-leukemic clones in children

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common form of childhood cancer. In this type of cancer, which affects blood cells, one of the most common abnormalities is the presence of cells with an excess of chromosomes (hyperdiploidy), a condition that leads to chromosomal instability.

8 Apr 2026

Study identifies a common hidden genetic cause of neurodevelopmental disorder in children

Researchers identified biallelic variants in RNU2-2 as the cause of a recessive neurodevelopmental disorder marked by intellectual disability, global developmental delay, and frequent seizures. The study suggests this condition may be the most prevalent known recessive neurodevelopmental disorder currently diagnosable by sequencing, with RNA data pointing to a loss-of-expression mechanism.

2 Apr 2026

Excessive RNA editing enzyme alters brain circuit formation in Down syndrome

A collaborative research study co-led by scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Liber Institute for Brain Development has for the first time identified a biological process that may help explain how the brain develops differently in people with Down syndrome.

31 Mar 2026

Study proposes genetic basis for autism’s strong sex bias

Autism has a significant and enduring sex bias, with roughly four boys diagnosed for every girl. For many years, experts have believed this disparity arises primarily from diagnostic inequities because much of autism research - and the screening tools that grew out of it - has historically focused on boys, effectively setting a male standard for what autism "looks like."

30 Mar 2026

Microtubules unveiled as active enzyme regulators

Microtubules, the dynamic filaments that form the cell's internal scaffolding, have long been viewed as mere passive structural supports. But a new study reveals they play a far more active signaling role. The findings, published in Science Advances, demonstrate that microtubules are in fact regulators of enzymatic reactions through reshaping the geometry of the enzyme's substrate proteins attached to them and controlling when key events occur to conduct cell division.

26 Mar 2026

Study reveals genetic impact of Agent Orange on bone marrow cancers

More than 50 years after Agent Orange was used in Vietnam, a new national study published online ahead of print in Blood Advances highlights the genetic changes that link exposure to Agent Orange to myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a group of bone marrow cancers that can progress to acute leukemia.

23 Mar 2026

Selfish chromosomes hijack Overdrive gene to eliminate rival sperm

A new University of Utah-led study has discovered the mechanism behind a decades-old evolutionary mystery-how "selfish chromosomes" cheat the rules of genetic inheritance.

13 Mar 2026

NUS uncovers NuSAP’s role in centriole stability

Biologists at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have uncovered how the protein NuSAP safeguards tiny structures inside cells called centrioles, revealing a mechanism linked to developmental disorders such as microcephaly and mosaic variegated aneuploidy (MVA) syndrome.

12 Mar 2026

Transposable elements cause majority of lethal mutations in fruit flies

Most lethal mutations in wild fruit flies are driven by newly transferred jumping genes, not small DNA errors, according to a new study from Duke University.

10 Mar 2026

Scientists simulate complete life cycle of a minimal bacterial cell

By simulating the life cycle of a minimal bacterial cell - from DNA replication to protein translation to metabolism and cell division - scientists have opened a new frontier of computer vision into the essential processes of life.

9 Mar 2026

Extra copies of chromosome 1q may play key role in the earliest stages of pancreatic cancer

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Ludwig Center uncovered new evidence that extra copies of a specific chromosome segment - chromosome 1q - may play a key role in the earliest stages of pancreatic cancer development.

26 Feb 2026

Neanderthal DNA loss tied to ancient interbreeding dynamics

The human genome is a rich, complex record of migration, encounters, and inheritance written over thousands of millennia.

26 Feb 2026

Study identifies mitochondrial circular RNAs in aging and senescence

A new research paper was published in Volume 18 of Aging-US on February 10, 2026, titled "Aging-associated mitochondrial circular RNAs."

24 Feb 2026

Embryonic reproductive cells reveal striking genomic architecture before development

Researchers at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) and Imperial College London have shown for the first time that, before they can start developing into egg and sperm cells, the embryonic precursors of these cells uniquely reshape the 3D organization of their genetic material.

20 Feb 2026