Names ________________________________________________ Date ___________________ Period ____
Karyotyping Online Activity
Pre-activity Questions (use your notes to answer these questions before going to the website)
1. What is a karyotype? __________________________________________________________________
2. What can karyotypes be used for? _______________________________________________________
3. How many chromosomes do humans have? __________________________________________
4. What are the sex chromosomes of a normal male? ___________________________________________
5. What are the sex chromosomes of a normal female? _________________________________________
Answer the rest of the questions on this page while completing the activity at the following
website.
http://www.biology.arizona.edu/human_bio/activities/karyotyping/karyotyping.html
Introduction
1. How many chromosomes does a genetically normal human have? ______________________________
2. What type of microscope would you need in order to see chromosomes? _________________________
3. How many genes are in each of the darkly stained G-bands that are on each chromosome? __________
4. When you arrange chromosomes to make a karyotype, what three physical features are used to identify
the chromosomes?
i. _____________________________________
ii. _____________________________________
iii. _____________________________________
Click on the “PATIENT HISTORIES” link on the bottom of the web page and answer the
questions on the other side of this sheet. All answers can be found in the answer bank.
To find the “symptoms associated with the condition”, type the name of the diagnosis into
a Google search, read over the results, and pick the choice that best matches from the
answer bank.
Patient A

Age: _____________

Sex: _____________

From where were the chromosomes taken? ________________________________________________

Notation (# of chromosomes, sex chromosomes, any extra or missing chromosomes): ______________

Diagnosis (what condition, if any, the patient has): __________________________________________

Symptoms associated with the condition: __________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Patient B

Age: _____________

Sex: _____________

From where were the chromosomes taken? ________________________________________________

Notation (# of chromosomes, sex chromosomes, any extra or missing chromosomes): ______________

Diagnosis (what condition, if any, the patient has): __________________________________________

Symptoms associated with the condition: __________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Patient C

Age: _____________

Sex: _____________

From where were the chromosomes taken? ________________________________________________

Notation (# of chromosomes, sex chromosomes, any extra or missing chromosomes): ______________

Diagnosis (what condition, if any, the patient has): __________________________________________

Symptoms associated with the condition: __________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
ANSWER BANKS
Each choice will be used once and only once.
Patient Ages
Patient Sexes
Notations
 28 years old
 Male
 47, XX, +21
 1 day old (died shortly after birth)
 Male
 47, XXY
 Full term fetus (not yet born)
 Female
 47, XY, +13
Places the chromosomes were taken
Diagnosis
 Nucleated cells in the patient’s blood
 Trisomy 13 Syndrome (Patau’s Syndrome)
 Tissue sample
 Down’s Syndrome
 Fetal epithelial cells through amniocentesis
 Klinefelter’s Syndrome
Symptoms associated with the condition

Mild to moderate mental retardation, flat facial features, heart defects, delayed social and
behavioral development

Cleft (split) palate & lip, polydactyly (extra fingers/toes), severe mental retardation, seizures,
usually death before the age of 1

Infertility (can’t have children), enlarged breast tissue, underdeveloped male genitals, reduced
amount of body & facial hair