Online Karyotyping Activity
Name_____________________________________________ Per____
Site 1: Online Karyotyping Activity
Go to www.biology.arizona.edu - Click on the blue word “Karyotyping” found in the far left menu under the
green “Activities” section. You can select English or Spanish for this activity.
In this activity, you will use a computer model to look at chromosomes and prepare a karyotype, which is a
map of all the chromosomes. You will diagnose patients for abnormalities and learn the correct notation for
characterizing karyotypes.
Introduction:
Read the paragraphs and answer these questions.
1.
What causes a dark band on the chromosome?
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. What is a centromere? _________________________________________________________________
3. Why are karyotypes useful?
____________________________________________________________________________________
Patient Histories: Click on the “Patient Histories” button. You’ll complete a karyotype for Patients A & B
Patient A –
4. What is patient A's history? Patient A is the nearly-full-term _________________ of a forty-year-old
female. Now, click “Complete Patient A’s Karyotype.”
5. Match the chromosome to its homologous pair (its matching partner). After all the matches are
complete, you'll analyze your patient. (Scroll down to view your completed karyotype). When you
are finished placing the chromosomes on the karyotype, answer this: How many total chromosomes
are in Patient A’s karyotype? Count them: _________
6. The last set of chromosomes that do not have any number is the sex chromosomes. If you see two
large chromosomes, your patient is XX (female), one large and one small indicates an XY (male).
What sex chromosomes does Patient A have? _____________
7. Which chromosome number has an extra chromosome (instead of two chromosomes, you see
three)? _______
8. What diagnosis would you give this patient (what chromosomal abnormality do they have)?
__________________________________
Patient B – Click on the link to go to Patient B and repeat the above process to create Patient B’s karyotype.
9. What is patient B's history? Patient B is a 28 year old male who is trying to find a cause for his
_________________________. Now, click “Complete Patient B’s Karyotype.”
10. Match the chromosome to its homologous pair (its matching partner). After all the matches are
complete, you'll analyze your patient. (Scroll down to view your completed karyotype). When you
are finished placing the chromosomes on the karyotype, answer this: How many total chromosomes
are in Patient B’s karyotype? Count them: _________
11. The last set of chromosomes that do not have any number is the sex chromosomes. If you see two
large chromosomes, your patient is XX (female), one large and one small indicates an XY (male).
What sex chromosomes does Patient B have? _____________
12. Which chromosome number has an extra chromosome – the small Y chromosome or the large X
chromosome? _______
13. What diagnosis would you give this patient (what chromosomal abnormality do they have)?
__________________________________.