Thursday, October 8, 2015

How many somatic chromosomes does a son receive from his father and mother?

Somatic chromosomes are more commonly called autosomes. By using the term autosome instead of somatic chromosome, we can avoid confusing the terms "somatic chromosome" and "somatic cell." 


Autosome Chromosomes vs Sex Chromosomes



  • Autosome Chromosomes: Autosomes are chromosomes that are not sex chromosomes. In humans, this would include chromosome pairs 1-22.


  • Sex Chromosomes: The sex chromosomes in humans are designated 'X' and 'Y.' Female cells contain two X chromosomes. Male cells contain one X and one Y chromosome. 

Both sons and daughters inherit one chromosome from pairs 1-22 from each parent. In other words, they inherit 22 autosomes from the father and 22 autosomes from the mother. 


Both sons and daughters also inherit one X chromosome from the mother. If the sex chromosome inherited from the father is an X chromosome the child will be female. If the sex chromosome inherited from the father is a Y chromosome, the child will be male. 


Therefore, both sons and daughters inherit 22 autosomes and 1 sex chromosome from each parent.


Somatic Cells vs Gamete Cells


The term "somatic" is more commonly used to describe the cells in the body that are not egg or sperm cells. Egg and sperm cells are called gamete cells. 

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