Question

The three most common autosomal trisomies in humans are those involving what chromosome?

a) Chromosome 21
b) Chromosome 18
c) Chromosome 13
d) Chromosome 22

Answer 1

The three most common autosomal trisomies involve chromosomes 21, 18, and 13, with trisomy 21 causing Down syndrome.

Step-by-step explanation:

The three most common autosomal trisomies in humans involve chromosomes 21, 18, and 13. These conditions are known as Down syndrome (trisomy 21), Edwards syndrome (trisomy 18), and Patau syndrome (trisomy 13). Specifically, trisomy 21 is the condition which causes Down syndrome, resulting from nondisjunction of chromosome 21.

This extra copy of chromosome 21 leads to the characteristic features and developmental challenges associated with Down syndrome. Trisomy 18 and trisomy 13 also result from having an extra chromosome, but these conditions are less common and often more severe than Down syndrome.