Chromosome Abnormality
A chromosomal disorder, anomaly, aberration, or mutation is a missing, extra, or irregular portion of chromosomal DNA. It can be from a typical number of
chromosomes or a structural abnormality in one or more chromosomes. Chromosome mutation was formerly used in a strict sense to mean a change in a chromosomal segment, involving more than one gene. The term "karyotype" refers to the full set of
chromosomes from an individual; this can be compared to a "normal" karyotype for the species via genetic testing. A
chromosome anomaly may be detected or confirmed in this manner.
Chromosome anomalies usually occur when there is an error in cell division following meiosis or mitosis. There are many types of
chromosome anomalies. They can be organized into two basic groups, numerical and structural anomalies.
This is called aneuploidy (an abnormal number of chromosomes), and occurs when an individual either is missing a
chromosome from a pair (monosomy) or has more than two
chromosomes of a pair (trisomy, tetrasomy, etc.).
An example of trisomy in humans is Down syndrome, which is a developmental disorder caused by an extra copy of
chromosome 21; the disorder is therefore also called trisomy 21. Having an extra copy of this
chromosome means that individuals have three copies of each of its genes instead of two, making it difficult for
cells to properly control how much protein is made. Producing too much or too little protein can have serious consequences. Genes on
chromosome 21 that specifically contribute to the various symptoms of Down
syndrome are now being identified. The frequency of Trisomy 21 has been determined to be a function of advanced maternal age.
An example of monosomy is Turner syndrome, where the individual is born with only one sex chromosome, an X
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