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

COVID-19 studies should provide sex-disaggregated data, researchers warn

Researchers have warned that studies examining sex-specific responses to infection with SARS-CoV-2 must provide sex-disaggregated data.

21 Jun 2021

Neanderthal-derived genetic locus influences COVID-19 severity in humans

Researchers in the United States and Estonia have identified four genetic variants on a chromosome 3 haplotype that may be responsible for driving the association between this locus and the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

15 Jun 2021

Molecular biologists elucidate the key role of motor proteins in cell division

Proper chromosome segregation into two future daughter cells requires the mitotic spindle to elongate in anaphase.

15 Jun 2021

Researchers find new insight on the link between a gene and congenital heart disease

New insight on the link between a gene called SORBS2 and congenital heart disease has been published today in eLife, with findings that may help explain the cause of the disease in some patients.

8 Jun 2021

Gene offers some level of protection from severe Covid

The first evidence of a genetic link explaining why some people who catch Covid-19 don't become sick has been discovered.

5 Jun 2021

Study brings to light the role of a cellular protein in COVID-19 infections

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a protein found on the surface of lung cells, facilitates the entry of the novel coronavirus into host cells.

4 Jun 2021

Study identifies new genetic variants that cause developmental disorders in children

Non-coding regions of DNA could hold the key to diagnosing developmental disorders in children, new research suggests.

4 Jun 2021

Nanopore sequencing contradicts human genome integration of SARS-CoV-2

Now a new preprint research paper posted to the bioRxiv* server dismisses the possibility, raised by that study, that the virus inserts its genetic material into the host cell’s genome.

2 Jun 2021

Research offers new hope for people affected by the microdeletion of chromosome 22

One person in 2000 suffers from a microdeletion of chromosome 22 that can lead to the development of psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia, in adolescence.

1 Jun 2021

UCL researchers measure mass of human chromosomes with X-rays for the first time

The mass of human chromosomes, which contain the instructions for life in nearly every cell of our bodies, has been measured with X-rays for the first time in a new study led by UCL researchers.

1 Jun 2021

Could a mathematical application of information theory identify and predict SARS-CoV-2 mutations?

An interesting new study by researchers at the University of Portsmouth, UK, describes the use of a mathematical method to sequence genomes based on information theory. The method offers an alternative to clinical techniques, allowing mutations to be detected and possibly even predicted. In this way, it opens new research opportunities in bioinformatics and genetics.

31 May 2021

Kinase inhibitors could provide an effective way to treat high-risk leukaemia

Australian scientists have found what could prove to be a new and effective way to treat a particularly aggressive blood cancer in children.

29 May 2021

Scientists develop new resources to combat cancer, advance cutting-edge genomics research

University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have developed important new resources that will aid the battle against cancer and advance cutting-edge genomics research.

27 May 2021

Specific enzymes protect the human skin and body from microbes, viruses

The human body is constantly exposed to various environmental actors, from viruses to bacteria to fungi, but most of these microbial organisms provoke little or no response from our skin, which is charged with monitoring and protecting from external dangers.

22 May 2021

Novel 'CopyCatcher' detects when precise copying of genetic information takes place in cells

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have laid the groundwork for a potential new type of gene therapy using novel CRISPR-based techniques.

11 May 2021

Severe COVID-19 linked to genetic clotting predisposition

Thus, the need to stratify the risk of severe or critical disease in patients presenting with SARS-CoV-2 infection remains a crying necessity. A new preprint research paper posted to the medRxiv server discusses the relationship between severe disease and pre-existing susceptibility to clots and other diseases of the cardiovascular system.

11 May 2021

Machine learning approach helps study human hypothalamus at the single-cell level

Human brain organoids are remarkable platforms for modeling features of human brain development and diseases.

11 May 2021

Researchers study how cancer cells re-organize 3D structure of DNA to ramp up oncogene activity

In cancer, a lot of biology goes awry: Genes mutate, molecular processes change dramatically, and cells proliferate uncontrollably to form entirely new tissues that we call tumors.

10 May 2021

New method shows that tau forms small aggregates as part of the body's normal physiology

It turns out that not all build-ups of tau protein are bad, and a team of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania developed a method to show that.

6 May 2021

Researchers report rare case of cardiac arrhythmias in a neonate with Turner syndrome

Doctors treating babies born with Turner syndrome need to look for heart rhythm abnormalities, in addition to the usual heart problems of high blood pressure or left-sided structural heart defects, according to Meena Bolourchi, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine.

30 Apr 2021