Chromosome 6 is one of the 23 pairs of

chromosome A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...

s in

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, cultu ...

s. People normally have two copies of this chromosome. Chromosome 6 spans more than 170 million base pairs (the building material of DNA) and represents between 5.5 and 6% of the total DNA in cells. It contains the major histocompatibility complex, which contains over 100 genes related to the

immune response An immune response is a reaction which occurs within an organism for the purpose of defending against foreign invaders. These invaders include a wide variety of different microorganisms including viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi which could ...

, and plays a vital role in

organ transplantation Organ transplantation is a medical procedure in which an organ is removed from one body and placed in the body of a recipient, to replace a damaged or missing organ. The donor and recipient may be at the same location, or organs may be transpor ...

Genes

The

human leukocyte antigen The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system or complex is a complex of genes on chromosome 6 in humans which encode cell-surface proteins responsible for the regulation of the immune system. The HLA system is also known as the human version of th ...

lies on chromosome 6, with the exception of the gene for β2-microglobulin (which is located on chromosome 15), and encodes cell-surface

antigen In immunology, an antigen (Ag) is a molecule or molecular structure or any foreign particulate matter or a pollen grain that can bind to a specific antibody or T-cell receptor. The presence of antigens in the body may trigger an immune respons ...

-presenting proteins among other functions.

Number of genes

In 2003, the entirety of chromosome 6 was manually annotated for proteins, resulting in the identification of 1,557 genes, and 633 pseudogenes. The following are some of the newer gene count estimates. Because researchers use different approaches to genome annotation their predictions of the

number of genes In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...

on each chromosome varies (for technical details, see

gene prediction In computational biology, gene prediction or gene finding refers to the process of identifying the regions of genomic DNA that encode genes. This includes protein-coding genes as well as RNA genes, but may also include prediction of other functiona ...

). Among various projects, the collaborative consensus coding sequence project ( CCDS) takes an extremely conservative strategy. So CCDS's gene number prediction represents a lower bound on the total number of human protein-coding genes.

Gene list

The following is a partial list of genes on human chromosome 6. For complete list, see the link in the infobox on the right.

p-arm

The following are some of the genes located on p-arm (short arm) of human chromosome 6:

q-arm

The following are some of the genes located on q-arm (long arm) of human chromosome 6:

Diseases and disorders

The following diseases are some of those related to genes on chromosome 6: *

ankylosing spondylitis Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of arthritis characterized by long-term inflammation of the joints of the spine typically where the spine joins the pelvis. Occasionally areas affected may include other joints such as the shoulders or hi ...

, HLA-B * collagenopathy, types II and XI *

Coeliac disease Coeliac disease (British English) or celiac disease (American English) is a long-term autoimmune disorder, primarily affecting the small intestine, where individuals develop intolerance to gluten, present in foods such as wheat, rye and barle ...

HLA-DQA1 & DQB1 * Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, classical, hypermobility, and Tenascin-X types *

Hashimoto's thyroiditis Hashimoto's thyroiditis, also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis and Hashimoto's disease, is an autoimmune disease in which the thyroid gland is gradually destroyed. Early on, symptoms may not be noticed. Over time, the thyroid may enlarg ...

hemochromatosis Iron overload or hemochromatosis (also spelled ''haemochromatosis'' in British English) indicates increased total accumulation of iron in the body from any cause and resulting organ damage. The most important causes are hereditary haemochromatos ...

* Hemochromatosis type 1 *

21-hydroxylase deficiency Congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency, in all its forms, accounts for over 95% of diagnosed cases of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), and CAH in most contexts refers to 21-hydroxylase deficiency and different mutat ...

* maple syrup urine disease *

methylmalonic acidemia Methylmalonic acidemia, also called methylmalonic aciduria, is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder that disrupts normal amino acid metabolism. It is a classical type of organic acidemia. The result of this condition is the inability to prope ...

* Autosomal

nonsyndromic deafness Nonsyndromic deafness is hearing loss that is not associated with other signs and symptoms. In contrast, syndromic deafness involves hearing loss that occurs with abnormalities in other parts of the body. Genetic changes are related to the follow ...

* North Carolina macular dystrophy * otospondylomegaepiphyseal dysplasia * Parkinson disease *

polycystic kidney disease Polycystic kidney disease (PKD or PCKD, also known as polycystic kidney syndrome) is a genetic disorder in which the renal tubules become structurally abnormal, resulting in the development and growth of multiple cysts within the kidney. These c ...

porphyria Porphyria is a group of liver disorders in which substances called porphyrins build up in the body, negatively affecting the skin or nervous system. The types that affect the nervous system are also known as acute porphyria, as symptoms are ...

porphyria cutanea tarda Porphyria cutanea tarda is the most common subtype of porphyria. The disease is named because it is a porphyria that often presents with skin manifestations later in life. The disorder results from low levels of the enzyme responsible for the fift ...

Rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and hands are invol ...

, HLA-DR * CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome ), Sick Building Syndrome, Mold Toxin Susceptibility / Poisoning, HLA-DR/DQ * Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1, ATXN1 * Stickler syndrome, COL11A2 * Systemic lupus erythematosus *

Diabetes mellitus type 1 Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that originates when cells that make insulin (beta cells) are destroyed by the immune system. Insulin is a hormone required for the cells to use blood sugar for ...

, HLA-DR, DQA1 & DQB1 * X-linked sideroblastic anemia *

Epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrica ...

* Guillain Barre Syndrome *

Chordoma Chordoma is a rare slow-growing neoplasm thought to arise from cellular remnants of the notochord. The evidence for this is the location of the tumors (along the neuraxis), the similar immunohistochemical staining patterns, and the demonstration ...

* Hepatocellular carcinoma *

Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social wit ...

Cytogenetic band

References

;Notes *''Some text in this article was taken from http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/chromosome=6 (public domain)''

External links

* * *
Chromosome 6 Research Project"
''Parent-driven research for genotype-phenotype studies on chromosome 6 disorders.'' Retrieved 2017-06-17 {{DEFAULTSORT:Chromosome 06 (Human) Chromosomes (human) *