chromonema

American  

[kroh-muh-nee-muh] / ˌkroʊ məˈni mə /

noun

Genetics.

PLURAL

chromonemata

1. a chromosome thread that is relatively uncoiled at early prophase but assumes a spiral form at metaphase.

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chromonema British  

/ ˌkrəʊməʊnɪˈmætɪk, ˌkrəʊməˈniːmə /

noun

1. the coiled mass of threads visible within a nucleus at the start of cell division

2. a coiled chromatin thread within a single chromosome

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Other Word Forms

• chromonemal adjective
• chromonematic adjective

Etymology

Origin of chromonema

1920–25; chromo- + Greek nêma thread

Example Sentences

Molecular models suggest that chromosomes assemble in an ordered, hierarchical way: DNA wraps around proteins called histones to form nucleosomes, which fold into 30-nanometre fibres, then 120-nanometre ‘chromonema’, and further into larger chromatin structures until they reach their most tightly coiled form — the characteristic X-shaped bodies.

From Nature