
Autosomes are chromosomes that contain information (gene
sequences) available to both sexes. These are the chromosomes commonly used in
genetic examples.
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| autosomal limb girdle dystrophy, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, autosomal disease | |
| autosteric effector, autotroph, autoxidation |

An autosome is a chromosome that is not an allosome.[1] (An allosome is also called a sex chromosome). For example, in humans there are typically 22 pairs of autosomes and one allosome pair. Two X chromosomes or one X and one Y chromosome make up the 23rd chromosome pair which determines sex, female (XX) or male (XY). (Atypically XYY, XXY, XXX, XXXX, XXXXX or XXYY, among other allosome combinations, are known to occur. Most of these cause developmental abnormalities.) It is labeled in the pictures below as XX and X/Y, unlike the other pairs which are labeled with letters.
| Human chromosomes | |
|---|---|
| Female (XX) | Male (XY) |
| There are two copies of each autosome (chromosomes 1-22) in both females and males. The sex chromosomes are different: There are two copies of the X-chromosome in females, but males have a single X-chromosome and a Y-chromosome. | |
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