Chromosome 4

Chromosome 4 is one of the 23 pairs of chromosomes in humans. People normally have two copies of this chromosome. Chromosome 4 spans more than 186 million base pairs (the building material of DNA) and represents between 6 and 6.5 percent of the total DNA in cells.

Structure

Chromosome 4 has three regions: the p arm, the q arm, and the centromere that separates them. The p arm (short arm) is above the centromere, and the q arm (long arm) is below the centromere.

Genes

Chromosome 4 likely contains 1,000 to 1,100 genes that provide instructions for making proteins. These proteins have a variety of functions throughout the body.

Diseases and conditions

Several conditions are related to genes on chromosome 4. These include Huntington's disease, a progressive brain disorder, and Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, which affects many parts of the body.

Research

Research is ongoing to identify additional genes on chromosome 4 and to learn more about the proteins they produce. Because chromosomes are the basis for all genetic transmission, they are the focus of much research in biomedicine and genetics.

See also

• List of conditions related to genes on chromosome 4
• Human genome

References

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External links

• National Center for Biotechnology Information

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