What is cytogenetics?
Study of chromosomes / anything bigger than a gene.
Which chromosomes are autosomes?
1-22.
23 = X/Y
Which chromosomes are acrocentric? (5)
13-15, 21, 22.
What is conventional cytogenetics?
Metaphase chromosome analysis.
-G banding
What is molecular cytogenetics?
Analysis at all stages of cell cycle.
not just metphase, like conventional
What are the main techniques of molecular cytogenetics?
At which stage of the cell cycle are chromosomes most visible?
Metaphase.
What is G-banding used for?
Karyotyping.
Which chromosome is generally the largest?
Chromosome 1.
-decrease in size from that
How many genes does each band contain?
~50.
What is the short arm of a chromosome called?
P.
-p1, p2
What is the long arm of a chromosome called?
Q.
q1, q2, q3
How do cytogenetic abnormalities produce an abnormal phenotype? (5)
What generally produces a more severe phenotype; sex chromosome imbalance or autosomal?
Autosomal imbalance.
What are the main numerical chromosome abnormalities? (4)
Diploidy
Aneuploidy
Polyploidy
Mosaicism
What is diploidy?
2 copies of each chromosome.
What is aneuploidy?
Abnormal number of chromosomes in a cell.
What is polyploidy?
Gain of whole sets of chromosomes.
-triploidy / tetraploidy
What is mosaicism?
Presence of 2+ populations of cells.
-aneuploidy + diploidy
When do chromosomal abnormalities originate? (3)
What are the risks of increased maternal and paternal ages?
^ maternal age - aneuploidy.
^ paternal age - no significant risk.
What is non-disjunction?
Failure of chromosome / chromatid to separate.
What are the different effects caused by non-disjunction at meiosis I and II?
Meiosis I - 2 disomic, 2 nullisomic gametes.
Meiosis II - 1 disomic, 1 nullisomic, 2 normal gametes
What are the 3 chromosome that trisomy occurs at, and why?
13, 18, 21.
-relatively small chromosomes (can just about cope with extras)