Cell Component
chromosome

chro·mo·some [ kroh-muh-sohm ]
Subclass of:
Cellular Structures;
Intranuclear Space;
Genetic Structures
Etymology:
Greek chroma = color + soma = body
Definitions related to chromosomes:
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A structural unit composed of a nucleic acid molecule which controls its own replication through the interaction of specific proteins at one or more origins of replication.BRIDG Model DictionaryBiomedical Research Integrated Domain Group, 2019
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A structure composed of a very long molecule of DNA and associated proteins (e.g. histones) that carries hereditary information.Gene Ontology DictionaryGene Ontology Consortium, 2021
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A threadlike structure, found in the nucleus of each cell, that carries almost all of a cell's genes.Harvard Dictionary of Health TermsHarvard Medical Publishing, 2011
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In a prokaryotic cell or in the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell, a structure containing DNA which carries the genetic information essential to the cell; the bacterial chromosome is a closed circle of double stranded DNA associated with the cell membrane; nuclear chromosomes are associated with RNA, histones and non histone proteins; the normal number of chromosomes in human somatic cells is 46.CRISP ThesaurusNational Institutes of Health, 2006
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One of the bodies in the cell nucleus that is the bearer of genes, has the form of a delicate chromatin filament during interphase, contracts to form a compact cylinder segmented into two arms by the centromere during metaphase and anaphase stages of cell division, and is capable of reproducing its physical and chemical structure through successive cell divisions.NCI ThesaurusU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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Organelle part which consists of nucleotides arranged linearly into three regions, DNA replication origin, centromere and telomere. Examples: nuclear chromosome, sex chromosome.Foundational Model of AnatomyUniversity of Washington, 2017
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Part of a cell that contains genetic information. Except for sperm and eggs, all human cells contain 46 chromosomes.NCI Dictionary of Cancer TermsU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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Chromosome, the microscopic threadlike part of the cell that carries hereditary information in the form of genes. A defining feature of any chromosome is its compactness. For instance, the 46 chromosomes found in human cells have a combined length of 200 nm (1 nm = 10? 9 metre); if the chromosomes...Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2020
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