Chromosomes and Genes

Chromosome: a long, thread-like molecule made of the chemical called DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) that is held together with special proteins and is visible (with strong microscopes) during cell division... more

Gene: a region of DNA that instructs the cell on how to build protein(s). As a human, you usually get a set of instructions from your mom and another set from your dad... more

Karyotype: an image of chromosomes which shows their shape, size, and number.

Take a moment to consider how traits are passed from parent to offspring inside the cell. The information for the traits of an organism is stored in DNA, as genes on chromosomes. All living things have genes and chromosomes. Depending on the plant or animal, the size and number of chromosomes are different. Think of chromosomes as giant set of instructions for living things.

Chromosomes Two-By-Two

Chromosomes come in matching pairs, one pair from each parent. Humans, for example, have a total of 46 chromosomes, 23 from the mother and another 23 from the father. With two sets of chromosomes, children inherit two copies of each gene, one from each parent.

The image below, call a karyotype, shows the chromosomes of a human, lined up in pairs. The only two chromosomes that do not always come in matching pairs are the sex chromosomes, X and Y. In humans, girls have two matching X chromosomes. Boys, however, have a Y chromosome and only one X chromosome. By looking at the sex chromosomes in the image below, we can tell that the person this karyotype belongs to is male.

References

Additional images and illustrations from Wikimedia. Ant picture taken by en:User:Ways

Bibliographic details:

Article: Chromosomes and Genes
Author(s): Dr. Biology
Publisher: Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Ask A Biologist
Site name: ASU - Ask A Biologist
Date published: 20 Jul, 2010
Date accessed:
Link: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/chromosomes-and-genes

APA Style

Dr. Biology. (Tue, 07/20/2010 - 11:47). Chromosomes and Genes. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/chromosomes-and-genes

American Psychological Association. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/

Chicago Manual of Style

Dr. Biology. "Chromosomes and Genes". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 20 Jul 2010. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/chromosomes-and-genes

For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/04/

MLA 2017 Style

Dr. Biology. "Chromosomes and Genes". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 20 Jul 2010. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/chromosomes-and-genes

Modern Language Association, 7th Ed. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/

Different species have different numbers of chromosomes. This jack jumper ant has the least number of chromosomes among all animals: two in females, one in males.

Solving a Genetic Mystery

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