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

Discovery paves way for new hepatitis B treatment

In their effort to answer a decades-old biological question about how the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is able to establish infection of liver cells, research led by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), Weill Cornell Medicine, and The Rockefeller University identified a vulnerability that opens the door to new treatments.

22 Feb 2025

Breakthrough discovery unveils potential treatment for hepatitis B

In their effort to answer a decades-old biological question about how the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is able to establish infection of liver cells, research led by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), Weill Cornell Medicine and The Rockefeller University identified a vulnerability that opens the door to new treatments.

20 Feb 2025

Genetic mutation linked to schizophrenia in both humans and mice

A genetic mutation found in two human patients with schizophrenia also increased schizophrenia-related behaviors in mice with the same mutation, a rare finding of a direct genetic link to psychosis, report researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and colleagues in Massachusetts and Germany.

19 Feb 2025

Drinking more water may lower heart disease risk, but too much coffee and tea could raise it

Drinking water may help reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, while excessive coffee and tea intake (≥6 cups/day) increases the likelihood of CVD, with stronger effects in women.

19 Feb 2025

Gene editing shows promise for treating trisomy at cellular level

Gene editing techniques may eventually allow trisomy to be treated at the cellular level, according to an in vitro proof-of-concept study.

18 Feb 2025

ChromTR revolutionizes chromosome detection in metaphase cell images

ChromTR, a cutting-edge framework for chromosome detection in metaphase cell images, represents a significant advancement in the field of cytogenetics.

17 Feb 2025

Researchers identify genetic cause of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor Genetics and collaborating institutions provided a long-awaited and rare genetic diagnosis in a child with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a type of developmental epileptic encephalopathy (DEE), associated with a severe, complex form of epilepsy and developmental delay.

14 Feb 2025

New biomarker can accurately predict outcomes in meningiomas and breast cancers

Using a new technology and computational method, researchers from Fred Hutch Cancer Center and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have uncovered a biomarker capable of accurately predicting outcomes in meningioma brain tumors and breast cancers.

13 Feb 2025

Study reveals key mechanisms behind cancer cells adapting to extra chromosomes

Cancer cells have special adaptation mechanisms that allow them to proliferate despite changes in their genetic makeup.

13 Feb 2025

Testosterone treatment can save lives for men with Klinefelter syndrome

Testosterone treatment significantly reduces mortality among men with Klinefelter syndrome. Researcher calls for changes in guidelines to ensure more patients receive the necessary treatment.

13 Feb 2025

Boosting autophagy could improve egg quality and reproductive health

Our cells constantly receive DNA damage from factors such as ultraviolet rays, irradiations, toxins and chemicals.

13 Feb 2025

Study identifies novel enhancers linked to neuropsychiatric disorders

Neuropsychiatric disorders are becoming increasingly prevalent. Given their complex and multifactorial pathogenesis, there is an urgent need for effective and targeted therapies that can improve patients' quality of life.

13 Feb 2025

Yourgene Health launches IONA Care+ non-invasive prenatal testing service

Yourgene Health (part of the Novacyt group of companies), a leading international molecular diagnostics group, today announced the launch of IONA® Care+, a fully comprehensive non-invasive prenatal screening service for genetic conditions, in the UK.

13 Feb 2025

UConn receives $400,000 grant for cutting-edge autism research

Just in time for the Super Bowl, researchers at UConn School of Medicine are part of a big win for autism research.

7 Feb 2025

Researchers discover how RNA molecules influence multiple generations

RNA-based medicines are one of the most promising ways to fight human disease, as demonstrated by the recent successes of RNA vaccines and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) therapies.

4 Feb 2025

New AI model predicts gene expression across human cell types

A team of investigators from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Google, and Columbia University have created an artificial intelligence model that can predict which genes are expressed in any type of human cell.

31 Jan 2025

Crick researchers identify key Y chromosome genes influencing sperm development

Researchers at the Crick have uncovered which genes on the Y chromosome regulate the development of sperm and impact fertility in male mice.

23 Jan 2025

Researchers uncover how PICH protein protects DNA during cell division

Researchers at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) have made an exciting discovery about how human cells protect DNA during cell division, offering new insights into combating diseases such as cancer.

21 Jan 2025

New insights into rare liver cancer as clinical trial for treatment begins

Like many rare diseases, fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FLC) mounts a ferocious attack against an unlucky few-in this case, children, adolescents, and young adults.

17 Jan 2025

Unveiling the genetic roots of bicuspid aortic valve

Large and rare duplications and deletions in a chromosome region known as 22q11.2 , which involves genes that regulate cardiac development, are linked to nonsyndromic bicuspid aortic valve disease, according to a new study led by UTHealth Houston researchers.

16 Jan 2025