Chromosomal Abnormalities Flashcards
How do you prepare a karyotype? (7)
(Big White Polar bears Will Kill Some Guys
- Collect heparinised venous blood
- Isolate white cells
- Culture in phytohaemagglutinin —> T cell growth
- Wait 48 hrs
- Add colchicine —> mitotic arrest
- In hypotonic saline on slide
- Fix and stain (giemsa)
Big —> Blood
White —> White cells
Polar bears —> Phytohaemagglutinin
Will —> Wait
Kill —> Colchicine
Some —> Saline
Guys —> Giemsa
What is a karyotype?
Visual representation of a cell’s chromosomes in order
Which stain is used for karyotypes?
Giemsa
What is the telomere?
Ends of a chromosome —> repetitive DNA sequence
What is the centromere?
Centre of chromosome —> sister chromatids join
What is the p-arm?
Short arm (top arm)
What is the q-arm?
Long arm (bottom)
Why is gisema staining used for chromosomes?
Leaves banding pattern
- Light —> more stain —> euchromatin
- Dark —> less stain —> heterochromatin
What are G-dark regions of chromosomes?
Dark bands (heterochromatin)
What are G-light regions of chromosomes?
Light bands (euchromatin)
What are the 4 parts of a chromosome?
- 2 Telomeres
- Centromere
- P arm
- Q arm
How are bands numbered?
_ _ . _
1. Band
2. Sub-band
3. Sub-sub-band
- eg. 31.2 —> Band 3, sub-band 1, sub-sub-band 2
What do G-dark bands contain?
Heterchromatin
What do G-light bands contain?
Euchromatin
What is bphs?
Bands Per Haploid Set
What is the difference between heterochromatin and euchromatin?
- Hetero —> more compact, fewer genes
- Eu —> more open, more genes
When is a karyotype usually taken?
Prophase
What is the human genome project?
Research project that mapped and understood all human genes
What is whole genome sequencing?
Method to determine complete DNA sequence of an organism
When is whole genome sequencing done?
- Cancer patients
- Children with suspected abnormality
What does ‘pter’ mean in chromosome nomenclature?
End of p-arm (terminal)
What did whole genome sequencing lead to the discovery of?
50-60 New genetic diseases
What does ‘qter’ mean in chromosome nomenclature?
End of q-arm (terminal)
What does ‘cen’ mean in chromosome nomenclature?
Centromere
What does ‘del’ mean in chromosome nomenclature?
Deletion
What does ‘der’ mean in chromosome nomenclature?
Derivative chromosome (contains extra material)
What does ‘dup’ mean in chromosome nomenclature?
Duplication
What does ‘ins’ mean in chromosome nomenclature?
Insertion
What does ‘inv’ mean in chromosome nomenclature?
Inversion
What does ‘t’ mean in chromosome nomenclature?
Translocation
What does +/- before the chromosome number mean?
Gail/loss of whole chromosome
What does +/- after the chromosome number mean?
Gain/loss of part of the chromosome
What can giemsa staining detect?
Chromosomal abnormalities via karyotype
What are the 2 types of chromosomal abnormalities?
- Aneuploidy
- Structural abnormalities
What is aneuploidy?
Abnormal number of chromosomes
(more/less than 2 of a homologous pair —> more/less than 46)
What are the 2 types of aneuploidy?
- Monosomy —> 1
- Trisomy —> 3
What is trisomy?
Gained one extra copy of a particular chromosome (3)
What is monosomy?
Missing one copy of a particular chromosome (1)
What is the purpose of meiosis?
Reduction from diploid to haploid —> ensure genetic variation
How does meiosis create genetic variation? (3)
- Random assortment
- Crossing over
- Recombination
How does aneuploidy arise?
Non-disjunction
Which daughter cells are effected if non-disjuntion occurs in meiosis II?
Only 2
Which daughter cells are effected if non-disjuntion occurs in meiosis I?
All 4
What types of aneuploidy does non-disjunction always result in after fertilisation?
Monosomy or trisomy
What is the most common form of aneuploidy?
Sex chromosome aneuploidy
What is the prevalence of sex chromosome aneuploidy?
- 1/400 males
- 1/650 females
Why may X chromosome aneuploidy be tolerated?
X-inactivation of excess X chromosomes (only 1 active)
Why may Y chromosome aneuploidy be tolerated?
Low gene content of Y chromosome