Chromosome 7 (human)
Chromosome 7 is one of the 23 pairs of chromosomes in humans. People normally have two copies of this chromosome. Chromosome 7 spans more than 158 million base pairs (the building material of DNA) and represents between 5 and 5.5 percent of the total DNA in cells.
Identifying genes on each chromosome is an active area of genetic research. Because researchers use different approaches to predict the number of genes on each chromosome, the estimated number of genes varies. Chromosome 7 is likely to contain between 1,000 and 1,400 genes. It also contains the Homeobox A gene cluster.
Read more about Chromosome 7 (human): Diseases and Disorders, Chromosomal Disorders
Famous quotes containing the word chromosome:
“We become male automatically because of the Y chromosome and the little magic peanut, but if we are to become men we need the help of other men—we need our fathers to model for us and then to anoint us, we need our buddies to share the coming-of-age rituals with us and to let us join the team of men, and we need myths of heroes to inspire us and to show us the way.”
—Frank Pittman (20th century)