Definition of Autosomes



The non-sex chromosomes of an organism are termed as the autosomes or autosomal chromosomal. A human cell is composed of 22 pairs of these autosomes. They are named numerically on the basis of their size, shape, and several other properties. These autosomal chromosomes are different from the 23rd pair of chromosomes which is known as the sex chromosome.

 


This sex chromosome comes in the forms of X and Y. The autosomal chromosomes are responsible for controlling the inheritance of traits whereas the sex-linked traits are controlled by the sex chromosome. The abnormalities in the autosomes are generally brought about by the meiotic non-disjunction.


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