Inversion, chromosome


A condition in which a chromosome segment is clipped out, turned upside down, and reinserted back into the chromosome. A chromosome inversion can be inherited from one or both parents, or it may be a mutation that appears in a child whose family has no history of chromosome inversion. An inversion can be ‘balanced,’ meaning that it has all the genes that are present in a normal chromosome; or it can be ‘unbalanced,’ meaning that genes have been deleted (lost) or duplicated. A balanced inversion causes no problems. An unbalanced inversion is often associated with problems such as developmental delay, mental retardation, and birth defects.

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  • Inversion, paracentric chromosome

    A basic type of chromosome rearrangement in which a segment that does not include the centromere (and so is paracentric) has been snipped out of a chromosome, turned through 180 degrees (inverted), and inserted right back into its original location in chromosome. The feature that makes it paracentric is that both breaks are on the […]

  • Inversion, pericentric chromosome

    A basic type of chromosome rearrangement in which a segment that includes the centromere (and so is pericentric) has been snipped out of a chromosome, turned through 180 degrees (inverted), and inserted back into its original location in chromosome. The feature that makes it pericentric is that both breaks are on either side of the […]

  • Invert

    1) To turn inward. To invert the foot is to move its forepart toward the midline of the body. 2) To turn upside down or inside out. Inversion of the nipple can be normal or be a sign of an underlying tumor. 3) To reverse in position or order. A DNA sequence may be inverted. […]

  • Invest

    In medicine, to envelop, cover, or embed. For example, a dentist might invest a patient’s teeth with a wax material in order to form a mold of it.

  • Involuntary

    Done other than in accordance with the conscious will of the individual. The opposite of voluntary. The terms “voluntary” and “involuntary” apply to the human nervous system and its control over muscles. The nervous system is divided into two parts — somatic and autonomic. The somatic nervous system operates muscles that are under voluntary control. […]


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