2. Human Chromosomes
• The chromosome carries the genetic
information.
• composed of deoxyribonucieic acid
(DNA) on framework of protein .
• Segments of DNA molecules
comprise the genes; the units of
heredity.
3. • During cell division,
the chromosome can
be seen to consist of
2 parallel strands; the
chromatids, held
together at one point,
the centromere.
Chromosomes
4. Karyotype
• It is the set of chromosomes of an individual.
• It is the systematized arrangement of the
chromosomes of a single cell.
• In the human cell, there are 46 chromosomes or 23
pairs (diploid number); of these 23 pairs, 22 are
similar in both sexes and are called the autosomes.
The remaining pair is called sex chromosomes : XX in
the female cells and XY in the male cells .
• Chromosomes are arranged in groups A to G
according to their shape & size.
8. Chromosomal Abnormalities
• Chromosomal abnormalities are either numerical or
structural.
• They are a very common cause of early spontaneous
miscarriage.
• Usually, but not always, cause multiple congenital
anomalies and learning difficulties.
9. Chromosomal Aberrations (abnormalities)
• Structural Aberrations
o Deletion
o Duplication
o Inversion
o Translocation
• Numerical Aberrations (abnormalities)
o Polyploidy: Multiple of the haploid (> Diploid)
o Aneuploidy: Abnormal number
10. Structural abnormalities
1) Deletion : loss of a portion of a chromosome
2) Duplication : extra piece of a chromosome. .
3) Inversion : fragmentation of a chromosome
followed by reconstitution with a section inverted.
4) Translocation :
the transfer of a chromosome or a segment of it to a
non-homologous chromosome
11. Chromosomal Deletions
• a deletion results in a lost portion of a
chromosome,
• Deletion Causative Agents: Heat, radiation,
viruses, chemicals, errors in recombination. result
in partial monosomy,
• the organism is monosomic for the portion of the
chromosome that is deleted,
• as in monosomy, most segmental deletions are
deleterious.
15. Duplication
Causes:
– duplications often result from unequal crossing over,
– can occur via errors in replication during S-Phase.
Effects:
– results in gene redundancy,
– produces phenotypic variation,
– may provide an important source for genetic variability
during evolution.
17. Duplication in Evolution
essential genes do not tolerate mutation,
duplications of essential genes, then subsequent
mutations, confers adaptive potential to the organism,
new gene family members are ‘recruited’ to perform new
functions.
19. Paracentric Inversion
...an inversion in which the centomere is
not included,
A B C
...a paracentric inversion does not
change arm length ratio.
B
A C
B A
20. Pericentric Inversion
...an inversion in which the centromere is
included,
A B C
A B
C
...a pericentric inversion results in a
change in chromosome arm length.
22. Recombination and Inversions
• Paracentric and Pericentric;
– 1 Normal Gamete,
– 1 Inverted Gamete,
– No Crossover Classes = No Recombination,
Inversions select against recombinant
gametes, thus preserves co-segregation of
specific alleles.
23. Inversions and Evolution
• Inversions ‘lock’ specific alleles together,
– all offspring get the alleles from either a wild-
type, or inverted chromosome,
• If the ‘set of alleles’ is advantageous, the
set can be maintained in the population.
27. Down Syndrome
• 95% of Down Syndrome individuals are a result
of Trisomy 21,
– the probability of having a second Down Syndrome
child is usually similar to the population at large,
• However, there is second cause of Down
Syndrome caused by a Robertsonian
translocations that is heritable.
28. Reciprocal translocations
• An exchange of material between two different
chromosomes is called a reciprocal translocation.
When this exchange involves no loss or gain of
chromosomal material, the translocation is 'balanced'
and has no phenotypic effect.
• Balanced reciprocal translocations are relatively
common, occurring in 1 in 500 of the general
population.
29. Reciprocal translocations
•Finding a balanced translocation in one parent
indicates a recurrence risk for future pregnancies and
antenatal diagnosis by chorionic villus sampling or
amniocentesis should be offered as well as testing of
relatives.
31. Numerical Aberration
• Autosomal
- Trisomies: 1 ch extra (e.g. trisomy 21-13-18)
- Monosomies: 1 ch is missing
• Sex chromosome
- Klinefelter syndrome (47, XXY male)
- Turner syndrome (45, XO female)
32. Overview
I. Chromosomal Variations
A. Polyploidy
B. Aneuploidy
II. Syndromes resulting from Aneuploidy
A. Trisomy 13
B. Trisomy 18
C. Down Syndrome
D. Turner Syndrome
E. Klinefelter Syndrome
F. XYY Syndrome
33. Numerical abnormalities
Trisomy i.e. 47 chromosomes
- Trisomy 21 (the extrachromosome is No 21)
- Klinefelter syndrome ( 47, XXY male)
Monosomy i.e. 45 chromosomes
- Monosomy 21
- Turner syndrome (the missing chromosome is X in female
: 45, X or 45 XO )
34. Variations in Chromosomal
Number
• Euploidy – the usual number and sets of
chromosomes
• Polyploidy – the presence of three or more
complete sets of chromosomes
• Aneuploidy – the presence of additional
chromosomes or missing individual
chromosomes
35. Types of Polyploidy
• Triploidy – three sets of chromosomes
23 x 3 = 69
• Tetraploidy – four sets of chromosomes
23 x 4 = 92
36. Types of Aneuploidy
• Monosomy – one less chromosome
(23 x 2) – 1 = 45
• Trisomy – one additional chromosome
(23 x 2) + 1 = 47
37. Aneuploidy
• When aneuploidy occurs in humans,
syndromes can result. Examples include
the following:
1. Trisomy 13
2. Trisomy 18
3. Down Syndrome
3. Turner Syndrome
4. Klinefelter Syndrome
5. XYY Syndrome
38. Trisomy of Autosomes
• Trisomy 13 or D-trisomy (Patau syndrome)
• Trisomy 18 or E-trisomy (Edward syndrome)
• Trisomy 21 or G-trisomy (Down syndrome)
39. Trisomy 13 (Patau Syndrome)
• Trisomy 13, also called Patau syndrome, is a severe
chromosomal condition, with multiple malformations due to
an additional copy of all or part of chromosome 13. The
cause of this additional copy of chromosome 13 is unknown.
• Chromosomal complement: 47,XX,+13 (female) or
47,XY,+13 (male)
• Phenotype: Male or female
• Incidence: 1:12,000 (increases with the age of
mother)
44. Trisomy 18 (Edward Syndrome)
• Chromosomal complement: 47,XX,+18
(female) or
47,XY,+18
(male)
• Phenotype: Male or female
• Incidence: 1:8000
47. Features of Edward Syndrome
• Mental deficiency
• Growth retardation
• Prominent occiput with
elongated head
• Webbing of the neck
• Short sternum
• Micrognathia
• Low-set malformed ears
• Ventricular septal
defects
• Renal anomalies
• Clenched fists with
overlapping of fingers
• Hypoplastic nails
48. Trisomy 18, Edward Syndrome
Overlapping of the fingers
in Edwards' syndrome Short broad hand
50. Pathogenic mechanisms
Disruption
Involves destruction of a fetal part which initially
formed normally; e.g. amniotic membrane rupture
may lead to amniotic bands which may cause limb
reduction defects.
Dysplasia
Refers to abnormal cellular organization or
function of specific tissue types, e.g. skeletal
dysplasias and dysplastic kidney disease.
52. Down Syndrome (Mongolism) Trisomy 21
Incidence :
• The most common chromosomal aberration
• Incidence 1/700 live birth & 10 % of M.R.
Definition : It is trisomy 21 i.e. the cell contain an extra
chromosome, number 21 i.e. the cell contains three
21 chromosomes instead of two .
54. Genetic types (Cytogenetics)
(1) Non-disjunction : “ 95 % of cases”
• It is due to failure of disjunction of the 2
chromosomes of the pair No 21 during division, the
extra 21 chromosome is separate and so total no. in
cell is 47.
• Incidence is higher with increasing maternal age & so
it is age-dependent
57. Genetic types (Cytogenetics)
Translocation : “ 4 % of cases”
• The extra 21 chromosome is translocated (attached)
to another chromosome e.g. (15/21) so total no. of
chromosomes is 46 but the genetic material is that of
47 chromosomes .
• Incidence is usually in young mothers & risk of
recurrence is high & mother is called translocation
carrier
58. Down syndrome
Translocation carrier
• One parent contains a 14/21 translocation
and has only 45 chromosomes, and is a
phenotypically normal carrier.
• 1/4 of the individual's gametes will have
almost 2 copies of chromosome 21.
• The resulting zygote has 46 chromosomes, but
almost 3 copies of chromosome 21, and
exhibits Down syndrome.
60. Genetic types (Cytogenetics)
Mosaicism : “ 1 % of cases”
• Some cells are normal (46 chromosomes) & others
are trisomic (47 chromosomes)
Clinical feature are less evident & M.R. is mild .
Characteristic physical features
(in the absence of mental retardation, they should
NEVER be considered diagnostic)
61. Hands
• Simian crease (transverse palmar crease)
• Clinodactly (incurved little finger)
• Short broad hand
Feet
• Big space between the first and second toes
Clinical Features
64. Features of Down Syndrome
• Short height
• Severe mental deficiency
with decline in the IQ with
age
• Brachycephaly with flat face
and occiput
• Flat and low nasal bridge
• Upward slant to palpebral
fissures
• Malformed large ears
• Epicanthal folds of the eyes
• Brushfield spots in iris
• Renal anomalies
• Prominent and protruding
tongue (scrotal tongue)
• Simian crease
• Clinodactyly of 5th
digit
66. Klinefelter Syndrome
• Trisomy of sex
chromosome - XXY
(An additional X
chromosome in males)
• Occurrence – 1 in 500-
1000 males
67. Features of Klinefelter Syndrome
• Tall , Comparatively low weight relative to stature
• Infertility , Sexually underdeveloped
• Sparse facial and body hair
• Developmental delays
• Increased risk of autoimmune disorders, breast cancer,
osteoporosis, leg ulcers, depression, and dental
problems
• Larger craniofacial dimensions
• Severe acne in adolescence
• Behavior problems Learning disabilities
• Slightly lower IQ than normal
72. Turner syndrome
(Gonadal Dysgenesis)
At Birth .. Edema of dorsum of hand & feet
.. Webbing of neck.
Childhood period
- Short stature
- Head .. Low posterior hairline
- Neck .. Webbing of the neck
- Chest .. Broad chest & wide spaced nipples
- Limbs .. Cubitus valgus
73. Turner syndrome
Adolescence
- Failure of development of 2ry sex characters
- 1ry amenorrhea (streaked ovary)
- Normal mentality, Some learning disability
Associated anomalies & complications:
1- Cardiac anomalies: Bicuspid aortic valve –
AS - coarctation of aorta
2- Renal anomalies: Horseshoe kidney
3- Ear: Recurrent OM – SNH loss
#32:In particular, we will be investigating polyploidy and aneuploidy, two types of chromosomal variation. We will then look at five syndromes that result from aneuploidy, including occurrence and characteristics of each syndrome.
#34:Euploidy is the presence of the usual number of chromosomes in a cell. In the case of humans, there are generally two sets of 23 chromosomes or 46 total chromosomes in cells. However, in variations of chromosomal number, there can be differences. For example, polyploidy is the presence of three or more complete sets of chromosomes in a cell. Another example of a chromosomal alteration is aneuploidy, the presence of additional chromosomes or missing individual chromosome. (1)
#35:There are two main types of polyploidy, triploidy and tetraploidy. Triploidy is the presence of three sets of chromosomes. This means that the total number of chromosomes in a triploidy cell would be 23 chromosomes per set multiplied by 3 sets or 69 total chromosomes. Tetraploidy is the presence of four sets of chromosomes or 92 chromosomes total. (1)
In a cell, each chromosome can have 100 to 1000 genes. Cells with triploidy can have from 6900 to 69000 genes which is significantly more than the 4600 to 46000 genes in the usual cell. Cells with tetraploidy can have from 9200 to 92000 genes, double the genes found in typical cells. (1)
Because of such an extreme difference in the amount of genetic material as compared to the usual amount, cases of triploidy and tetraploidy have severe effects. Babies with triploidy (referred to as triploidy syndrome) are usually lost through miscarriage. In rare cases, infants have survived up to five months with multiple birth defects present. Those that survive usually have some cells with a typical number of chromosomes (46 chromosomes) and some cells with the extra set (69 chromosomes). Babies with tetraploidy have an even rarer chance of surviving birth. (2)
#36:There are also two main types of aneuploidy, namely monosomy and trisomy. Monosomy is the absence of only one chromosome, leaving the affected individual with 45 chromosomes instead of 46. Trisomy is the presence of an additional chromosome, or 47 chromosomes instead of the typical 46. (1)
#37:It is possible for babies with monosomy or trisomy to survive. In many cases, there are certain characteristics associated with aneuploidy, depending on which chromosome(s) are affected and the severity of the affected chromosome(s). Characteristics also vary depending on the number of cells that have the chromosomal variation. If very few cells have the variation, severity will be minimal. If most have the variation, severity will be much greater. (3)
When an individual has a particular karyotype as well as specified characteristics, their condition is defined as a syndrome. Some examples of aneuploidy associated syndromes include Trisomy 13, Trisomy 18, Down Syndrome, Turner syndrome, Klinefelter Syndrome, and XYY syndrome. The remainder of the presentation will discuss these syndromes and their features. (1)
#66:Kilinefelter syndrome can occur as the result of an individual having one Y and two X chromosomes instead of one of each. The occurrence of Klinefelter’s is estimated to be one in 500 to 1000 males, making it one of the most common sex chromosome disorders. (10,11)
#67:Characteristics normally associated with Klinefelter syndrome include being tall, sexually underdeveloped, and infertile, though in some case testicular function is preserved. Sparse facial and body hair is also a common characteristic. Klinefelter’s can also cause delays in speech and motor skills as well as deficits in attention, auditory processing and social skills. Learning disabilities, anxiety, and depression can also result. Treatment for these problems includes testosterone therapy and assisted learning. Finally, people with Klinefelter’s have an increased chance of certain health problems including autoimmune disorders such as type II diabetes, breast cancer, osteoporosis, leg ulcers, depression, and dental problems. (10,11)