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Video

What is the definition of cytogenetics?

Posted by
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• November 15, 2020

Description

Learn about cytogenetics in this HealthTree University lesson by cancer specialists.

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Transcript

What is the definition of cytogenetics? Cytogenetics typically refers to the more cellular organization of genes. And I said that the organization of genes are organized into chromosomes. So the cellular organization, the cytogenetics, is really a look at the chromosomal organization So cytogenetics is the study of chromosomes, which are long strands of DNA. And this DNA makes up the majority of the genetic information that cells have. So when we do studies of cytogenetics, the main interest is to try to understand if there are any changes in the chromosomes of these cells that have breaks or fusions that might help us understand what abnormalities are seen in these cells. So in order for us to live, we have a recipe book in our cells. And that recipe book is DNA. And this DNA has all the sequences of how a cell should function and how our body should behave. And the chromosome is the one that stores these DNA information in strands. And it makes up 46 chromosomes in our body within each cell that has all of the DNA content of how we're going to stay alive or survive.

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