AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -It is a cause of several abnormal medical conditions, including Down’s syndrome (trisomy of chromosome 21), Patau’s Syndrome (trisomy of chromosome 13), Edward’s Syndrome (trisomy of chromosome 18) and Turner’s Syndrome (the presence of only one X chromosome).

Detailed explanation-2: -Nondisjunction causes abnormal number chromosomes in all the cells called aneuploidy or in some cells called mosaicism. Some of the important examples are: Down’s syndrome – Trisomy of autosomes, i.e. chromosome 21. It contains one extra chromosome 21.

Detailed explanation-3: -Nondisjunction occurs when chromosomes fail to segregate during meiosis; when this happens, gametes with an abnormal number of chromosomes are produced. The clinical significance is high: nondisjunction is the leading cause of pregnancy loss and birth defects.

Detailed explanation-4: -Down syndrome is usually caused by an error in cell division called “nondisjunction.” Nondisjunction results in an embryo with three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the usual two. Prior to or at conception, a pair of 21st chromosomes in either the sperm or the egg fails to separate.