Question

You suspect that a serious developmental disorder is due to a chromosome abnormality and prepare a karyotype from an affected individual. in analyzing the karyotype, how could you distinguish trisomy from a chromosome structural defect such as a duplication?

Answer 1

The difference is very easy. In trisomy there would always be one extra chromosome. On the other hand, in a duplication one chromosome would have two copies of a portion of the chromosome.