autosome n : any chromosome that is not a sex chromosome; appear in pairs in body cells but as single chromosomes in spermatozoa [syn: somatic chromosome]

English

Noun

1. any chromosome other than sex chromosomes

An autosome is a non-sex chromosome. It is an ordinarily paired type of chromosome that is the same in both sexes of a species. For example, in humans, there are 22 pairs of autosomes. The X and Y chromosomes are not autosomal. Non-autosomal chromosomes are usually referred to as sex chromosomes, allosomes or heterosomes.

Like other chromosomes, autosomes display STR and SNP mutations which can be observed and have been used in genetic testings for ancestry, ethnicity, race and genealogical purposes. Private testing companies which do autosomal STR tests include FamilyTreeDNA and DNAtribes. Whereas companies testing autosomal SNPs include AncestryByDNA and deCODEme.

Notes

See also

• Autosomal dominant
• Autosomal recessive
• CODIS
• Homologous chromosome
• OmniPop

External links

• Discussion thread on the potential use of autosomal 'Haploblocks' in advanced methods of genetic genealogical testing
• ENFSI autosomal DNA database allele population frequency calculator
• CSFS autosomal DNA database allele population frequency calculator
• MSNBC article on autosome testing companies including 23andme, deCODEme & Navigenics