Genetic characteristics are the traits you inherit from your parents. They include your physical structure, your biochemistry and, to some extent, your behavior. The two sets of chromosomes you receive contain all the genetic information needed to make you.

For a molecule to act as the genetic material, it should have the following characteristics:

• Be capable of replication i.e. create its own replica.
• It should be stable, structurally and chemically.
• It must have the scope for slow changes (mutations) to evolve.
• Be expressed in the form of ‘Mendelian Characters’.

DNA serves two important cellular functions: It is the genetic material passed from parent to offspring and it serves as the information to direct and regulate the construction of the proteins necessary for the cell to perform all of its functions.

The genetic material of a cell can be a gene, a part of a gene, a group of genes, a DNA molecule, a fragment of DNA, a group of DNA molecules, or the entire genome of an organism.

DNA is pivotal to our growth, reproduction, and health. It contains the instructions necessary for your cells to produce proteins that affect many different processes and functions in your body. Because DNA is so important, damage or mutations can sometimes contribute to the development of disease.

Frequency: The definition of a chromosome is a thread-like structure of DNA (nucleic acids and proteins) that carries genes. The “X” or “Y” gene that determines whether you will be a boy or a girl is an example of a chromosome.

Each chromosome is made up of DNA tightly coiled many times around proteins called histones that support its structure. DNA and histone proteins are packaged into structures called chromosomes.

What is another word for chromosome?

A chromosome is a strand of DNA that is encoded with genes. In most cells, humans have 22 pairs of these chromosomes plus the two sex chromosomes (XX in females and XY in males) for a total of 46.