Chromosome 16 represents almost 3% of the total DNA in cells.
Summary:
- autosome
- small sized chromosome
- about 89,000,000 base pairs
- about 1,109 genes
Gene examples of chromosome 16:
The MEFV (Mediterranean fever) gene encodes the protein pyrin. Pyrin is produced in white blood cells and plays a role in inhibiting the inflammatory response after an infection. Familiar Mediterranean fever results from an inherited mutation in the MEFV gene. It is characterized by an inappropriate or prolonged inflammatory response with resulting fever or inflammation in the abdomen, chest, joints or skin.
The MSLN gene encodes a preprotein that is cleaved into two products, megakaryocyte potentiating factor and mesothelin. Mesothelin is a cell surface protein present on mesothelium (a protective lining that covers most of the body’s internal organs), mesotheliomas (malignant cells develop in the mesothelium) and ovarian cancers. It may play a role in cellular adhesion.
The chromosome 16 image
The whole chromosome 16 image has a width of 3500 px and a height of 25392 px. It is too big to display here but you can download the chromosome 16 image. A 200 px wide overview of the chromosome can be seen on the right (bottom). Additionally, we show some details out of the original sized chromosome picture below.
Image details (examples):
