Glossary -   Autosome

 

 

One of the two types of chromosomes in most animals. Autosomes contain many thousands of genes, but do not contain genes that determine the sex of an organism. Sex chromosomes, on the other hand, do contain sex-determining genes. Humans have a total of 46 chromosomes; 44 autosomes (chromosomes 1-2) and two sex chromosomes (X and Y).