What is euploidy?

Euploidy refers to the presence of a normal, complete set of chromosomes within an organism's cells. Typically, this means that the organism has two copies of each chromosome (one inherited from each parent), for a total of 46 chromosomes in humans. Euploidy can also refer to organisms that have multiple complete sets of chromosomes. For example, tetraploidy refers to organisms that have four complete sets of chromosomes, while polyploidy refers to any organisms with more than two complete sets of chromosomes. Euploidy is different from aneuploidy, which refers to organisms with an abnormal number of chromosomes, such as those with trisomy 21 (three copies of chromosome 21) in humans. Euploidy can be maintained through normal cell division processes, such as mitosis and meiosis, whereas abnormalities in these processes can lead to aneuploidy. Euploidy is important for the proper functioning of organisms, as it ensures the correct number of genes are present and expressed in each cell.