2010 National DNA Day Online Chatroom Transcript

This is just one question from an archive of the National DNA Day Moderated Chat held in April 2010. The NHGRI Director and many genomics experts from across NHGRI took questions from students, teachers and the general public on topics ranging from basic genomic research, to the genetic basis of disease, to ethical questions about genetic privacy.

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Could missing an excessive number of chromosomes be fatal to a person?
     Kate Reed, M.P.H., Sc.M.: I currently work as a genetic counselor with both children and adults. As a counselor, I help geneticists with diagnosing people with genetic conditions and helps families understand and adapt to diagnoses. I also works as a project director at the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics where she helps to teach doctors and other health professionals about genetics. Yes. While there are some specific examples of individuals who are living with extra chromosomes, such as down syndrome (3 copies of chromosome 21) and trisomy 18 (3 copies of chromosome 18), most embryos with extra chromosomes do not survive. The most common aneuploidies (having extra chromosomes) that survive involve extra sex chromosomes.
Shikellamy High School in PA (9th grade student)

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