XYY, or XYY syndrome and also known as the Jacob Syndrome, is a trisomy of the sex chromosomes in which a human male receives an extra Y chromosome in each cell, hence having a karyotype of 47,XYY. A trisomy means the presence of three (instead of the normal two) chromosomes of a particular numbered type in an organism. ... A sex-determination system is a biological system that determines the development of sexual characteristics in an organism. ... Binomial name Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Homo sapiens idaltu (extinct) Homo sapiens sapiens Human beings define themselves in biological, social, and spiritual terms. ... Male is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces sperms. ... The XY sex-determination system is a well-known sex-determination system. ... Cells in culture, stained for keratin (red) and DNA (green) The cell is the structural and functional unit of all living organisms, sometimes called the building blocks of life. ... Karyogram of human female A karyotype is the complete set of all chromosomes of a cell of any living organism. ...

Effects

Physical traits

XYY syndrome typically causes no unusual physical features or medical problems. Persons with this syndrome may be slightly taller than average, or have more severe acne than normal. Skeletal malformations may also accompany XYY syndrome at a higher rate than in the general population. Several other physical characteristics, including large hands and feet, have been associated (although not definitively) with XYY syndrome. Any physical characteristics, however, are usually so slight that they are insufficient evidence to suggest a diagnosis.

Most males with XYY syndrome have normal sexual development and are able to conceive children.

Since there are no distinct physical characteristics, the condition usually is only detected during genetic analysis for other reasons.

Behavioral characteristics

There are reports that men with XYY syndrome may be more likely to have behavior problems, possibly due to a higher testosterone level, but these are usually avoided if the syndrome is detected early. There are also reports of learning disabilities and delayed speech. Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. ... In broad terms, the phrase learning disability covers any of a range of conditions that affect a persons ability to learn new information. ...

Cause and prevalence

XYY syndrome is not inherited, but usually occurs as a random event during the formation of sperm cells. An error in cell division called nondisjunction can result in sperm cells with an extra copy of the Y chromosome. If one of these atypical reproductive cells contributes to the genetic makeup of a child, the child will have an extra Y chromosome in each of the body's cells. In some cases, the addition of an extra Y chromosome occurs as an accident during cell division in early fetal development. Schematic diagram of a sperm cell, showing the (1) acrosome, (2) cell membrane, (3) nucleus, (4) mitochondria, and (5) flagellum (tail) A sperm cell, or spermatozoon ( spermatozoa) (in Greek: sperm = semen and zoon = alive), is the haploid cell that is the male gamete. ... In biology, nondisjunction is the failure of a chromosome to split correctly during meiosis. ...

The incidence of this condition is about one in 850 males.

Reference

• public domain text from the NLM Genetics Home Reference at [1] (http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=47xyysyndrome).