Question

What are autosomes? How many autosomes would be found in normal liver cells of a human female?

Answer 1

Hint: An autosome is any chromosome that is not a sex chromosome. Over and above, autosomes still contain sexual determination genes even though they are not sex chromosomes. These are responsible for regulating other functions other than sex determination.

Complete answer:
An autosome is any chromosome that is not a sex chromosome. Over and above, autosomes still contain sexual determination genes even though they are not sex chromosomes. These are responsible for regulating other functions other than sex determination.
Complete step by step answer: The members of an autosome pair in a diploid cell have the same morphology, unlike those in allosomes (sex chromosome) pairs which may have different structures. The DNA in autosomes is collectively known as atDNA or auDNA.
Each autosome stores many thousand genes, each of which performs a unique function in the organism’s cells. Each of subtly different cell types in a eukaryotic organism express a different combination of genes in the right place at the right time, enabling the huge array of cellular functions we see in eukaryotic organisms like ourselves.

Additional information:
Mutations (or changes in the DNA) have occurred over time in different organisms. Examples of autosomal recessive disorders include cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia etc.
Cystic fibrosis: Cystic fibrosis is a common, inherited, single-gene disorder. People with this disease produce mucus that is abnormally thick and sticky that can damage body organs. The mucus interrupts the function of vital organs, especially the lungs, and leads to chronic infections.
Sickle cell anemia: Sickle cell anemia is another common, inherited, single-gene disorder found mostly in African-Americans. Sickle cells are stiff and sticky. When they lose their oxygen, they form into the shape of a sickle, or the letter "C." These sickle cells tend to cluster together and can't easily move through the blood vessels. The cluster causes a blockage and stops the movement of healthy, normal, oxygen-carrying blood.
Human body cells contain 23 pair of chromosome, out of which 22 pairs are autosomes and remaining 1 pair is sex chromosomes. Since the whole body contains the same number of chromosomes, the liver cells of the female body will also have 22 pairs i.e. 44 autosomes.

Note: Sex chromosomes are considered separately from autosomes, their inheritance pattern works differently. In humans, the sex chromosomes are referred to as the X chromosome and the Y chromosome. During the process of meiosis which creates the eukaryotic sex cells, the sex cells mix their DNA between their two copies of each autosome resulting in a unique set of chromosomes.