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AAT Bioquest

What are the main types of chromosome translocations?

Posted February 3, 2024


Answer

Chromosome translocations refer to a type of abnormality in which a segment of a chromosome breaks and the fragmented pieces attach themselves to a different chromosome or to a new locus on the same chromosome. 

There are two main types of translocations: Reciprocal and Robertsonian. 

  • Reciprocal translocation: In a reciprocal translocation, segments from two different chromosomes get exchanged, resulting in two different chromosomes having exchanged segments with each other. 
  • Robertsonian translocations: In a Robertsonian translocation, in which an entire chromosome attaches itself to another chromosome at the centromere, which is the pinched center of a chromosome between the p and q arms.
Additional resources

The biogenesis of chromosome translocations

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