Monosomy is the absence of one chromosome from a pair of homologous chromosomes. It is an illustration of aneuploidy, an uneven distribution in chromosome numbers. This indicates that errors made during cell division might result in additional or missing chromosomes being found in the cells.
Humans typically have two copies of each chromosome, one from each parent, for 23 chromosomes. There are 45 chromosomes instead of 46 when one chromosome is missing, which results in abnormalities.
Human monosomy is highly uncommon since chromosome-less embryos generally die. Notably, many monosomy cases, like the Cri-du-chat syndrome, only have a part of the missing chromosome.
Monosomy-related human conditions include the following:
Turner syndrome: Instead of the standard two X chromosomes, individuals with Turner syndrome often have one X chromosome.
Cri-du-chat syndrome: It is an incomplete monosomy caused by a deletion at the end of the short arm of the 5th chromosome.
Related Links:
Learn more about this topic, here at BYJU’S.
Comments