balanced translocation, the transfer of segments between nonhomologous chromosomes in such a way that the configuration and total number of chromosomes change, but each cell contains the normal amount of diploid or haploid genetic material. Usually the long arm of an acrocentric chromosome is transferred to another chromosome, and the small fragment containing the centromere is lost, leaving only 45 chromosomes. A person with a balanced translocation is phenotypically normal but may produce children with trisomies. Compare reciprocal translocation, robertsonian translocation.
