Question

Using the karyotype above, answer the following questions: 1. Which of these sets of chromosomes are autosomes? 2. Which are the sex-chromosomes? 3. Based on their karyotype, does he or she (indicate which gender) have a genetic disorder? 4. Why or why not? (5 points)

Answer 1

Well, it would have helped, if you posted a picture of the karyotype that this question wanted us to look at.

But here, I'll post my own picture, of a NORMAL human karyotype:
http://www.contexo.info/DNA_Basics/images/karyotypeX.gif

A KARYOTYPE is a CHROMOSOME CHART.

And what you're look at, there, is the karyotype of a human female.

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Human have 23 pairs of chromosomes.
There are, of course, 2 chromosomes in every pair.
That's 46 chromosomes, in all.

Take a look at the chart.

You can see that each pair of chromosomes has a number under it.
23 pairs of chromosomes in all.

The 23rd pair of chromosomes doesn't have a number.
Instead, you see that it just has an X under it.

So, again,
humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes.

22 of those pairs are called AUTOSOMES.

The VERY LAST pair,
which is the 23rd pair of chromosomes,
are our SEX CHROMOSOMES.
They determine our SEX (male or female).

Take a look at the chart,
and find the last pair of chromosomes.
Find the last two chromosomes.

You can see that they are both listed as X.

That means that they are both X chromosomes.

FEMALES have TWO X chromosomes, in the 23rd pair.
MALES have ONE X and ONE Y chromosome, in the 23rd pair.

Do you see that in the karyotype that I posted,
there are TWO X chromosomes, in the 23rd pair?

That's how we know that this karyotype chart belongs to a human female.

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So, let's go over some basic facts, again:

1. Humans normally have 23 PAIRS of chromosomes. That's 46 chromosomes in all.

2. The FIRST 22 pairs of chromosomes are AUTOSOMES.

3. The LAST (23rd) pair of chromosomes are SEX CHROMOSOMES.

4. FEMALES have TWO X chromosomes, in their 23rd pair.

5. MALE have ONE X and ONE Y chromosome, in their 23rd pair.

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Now, what I've described to you is NORMAL.

A NORMAL human SHOULD have 46 chromosomes, in all.

Now, let's look at this question:

"Based on their karyotype, does he or she (indicate which gender) have a genetic disorder? Why or why not?"


A person with a genetic disorder DOES NOT have 46 chromosomes, in all.

A person with a genetic disorder might have MORE than 46, or LESS than 46 chromosomes, in all.

To answer the question,
you'll have to look at your own karyotype chart.
You'll have to look at the chart that the question is asking about.