autosome

[aw-tuh-sohm]

noun

Genetics.

1. any chromosome other than a sex chromosome.

autosome

/ ˈɔːtəˌsəʊm /

noun

1. any chromosome that is not a sex chromosome

Other Word Forms

• autosomal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of autosome¹

First recorded in 1905–10; auto- ¹ + -some ³

Example Sentences

The team zeroed in on differences in the ratio of DNA inherited on their X chromosomes compared with the 22 chromosomes that do not determine sex, the so-called autosomes.

Read more on Science Magazine

A more serious problem arises because the mathematical transformation affects the quantitative comparison between different enrichment profiles by ratio calculations—e.g., when comparing males and females or X chromosomes and autosomes.

Read more on Science Magazine

The lower plot reports the ratio between X and autosomes.

Read more on Science Magazine

Divergence was more uniformly distributed along the Z chromosome and did not show the distinct islands of divergence characterizing most autosomes; the Z chromosome contained approximately 35% of all fixed sites in the genome.

Read more on Nature

Furthermore, the team determined that Papuans have more Denisovan DNA on their autosomes, inherited equally often from both parents, than on their X chromosomes, inherited twice as often from the mother.

Read more on Science Magazine