Chromosome 20

Chromosome 20 is one of the 23 pairs of chromosomes in humans. People normally have two copies of this chromosome. Chromosome 20 spans around 63 million base pairs (the building material of DNA) and represents between 2 and 2.5 percent of the total DNA in cells.

Structure

Chromosome 20 has a large arm (q) and a small arm (p). The p arm is made up of two regions: the centromere, which is the point of attachment for the spindle fibers during cell division, and the telomere, which is the end of the chromosome.

Genes

Chromosome 20 contains about 700 to 800 genes. Some of these genes are involved in the immune system, while others are involved in the development of the brain and the nervous system.

Diseases and disorders

Several diseases and disorders are related to genes on chromosome 20. These include Alzheimer's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and Neonatal diabetes mellitus.

Research

Research is currently being conducted on chromosome 20 to understand its role in disease and health. This research includes studies on the structure of the chromosome, the genes it contains, and the proteins those genes produce.

See also

• List of human chromosomes
• Human genome

External links

• National Center for Biotechnology Information

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  Chromosome 20

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  Chromosome 20 banding patterns