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A human cell containing 22 autosomes and a y chromosome is

a) a sperm.
b) an egg.
c) a zygote.
d) a somatic cell of a male.
e) a somatic cell of a female.

1 Answer

6 votes

Final answer:

A human cell with 22 autosomes and a Y chromosome is a somatic cell of a male, as it has the full set of chromosomes typical of a body cell and includes the male-specific Y chromosome.

Step-by-step explanation:

A human cell containing 22 autosomes and a Y chromosome is d) a somatic cell of a male.

Cells in the human body are categorized into two types: somatic cells and reproductive, or germ, cells. Somatic cells are typical body cells that contain the full set of chromosomes (46 in total), including autosomes and sex chromosomes. A cell with 22 autosomes and a Y chromosome is a male's somatic cell because males have one X and one Y chromosome. In contrast, gametes, which are the reproductive cells like sperm and egg cells, are haploid with only half the number of chromosomes (23 in total).

The sperm cell of a male will contain either an X or a Y chromosome, not both, and would have only 23 chromosomes in total, as opposed to the 46 in somatic cells. A human egg (oocyte), is also haploid and would likewise contain only 23 chromosomes, but always with an X chromosome since females have two X chromosomes. Consequently, the cell with 22 autosomes and a Y chromosome cannot be a sperm (option A) or an egg (option B). Furthermore, a zygote (option C) is the result of the fusion of a sperm and an egg, resulting in a diploid cell with 46 chromosomes. Hence, the correct answer is that it is a somatic cell from a male.