Chromosome: Difference between revisions

The chromosome is a threadlike structure found in the cells of every organism. The passing of characteristics to offspring is the process of heredity. The main material within the chromosome is DNA, which are long strands of genes. They come in different shapes and sizes depending on what the organism is. In human body there are 46 chromosomes that inhibit the human body. The way that the chromosome is formed is that proteins, which are known as histones bend and coil the DNA strands, which then forms the chromosome. This is why DNA inhibits most of the space in the chromosome. In each organism there is a certain number of chromosomes. In cell division the chromosome takes on an important role. When the new cells are formed by division they produce daughter cells. When there was one cell there is now two cells. Each of these are duplicated chromosomes. During this process the chromosome are formed into rodlike structures but are paired. The new cell that is then formed will receive one of each pair of the rodlike structure. This way the cell then has a chromosome that is like the original chromosome cell. A process called rearrangement can cause the cells to break off one chromosome and join another chromosome. This can cause problems for the chromosome. This process may cause a disease to travel from the parent to the child because of the rearrangement of the chromosome. Cancer cells are an example of the chromosome number or the structure are changed. (World Book)

The number of genes per chromosome, the number of chromosomes, and the length of chromosomes varies considerably among the various organisms on [[Earth]].