In: Biology
3. Describe the difference between a homologous chromosome and a sister chromatid
Homologous chromosomes consist of is made of two pairs of chromosomes that have the same length and loci, same centromere occurrence, and similar staining patterns. Each of one pair is inherited from mother and one from father and thus homologous chromosomes consist of two pairs.
A sister chromatid is formed during DNA replication and both the chromatids are identical to each other thus have the same centromere.
In simple means, the difference between homologous chromosomes and sister chromatids can be explained as say suppose a person has chromosome name A in which he inherits one pair from mother and other from father. This is a homologous chromosomes as both are coming from two different genetical backgrounds but the number of genes on them remains the same. During the process replication, each homologous chromosome gets separated from each other and each one receives its identical genetical copy and this is known as sister chromatids.