Polytene chromosomes are giant chromosomes that form in certain cell types through repeated rounds of DNA replication without cell division. This results in thousands of identical DNA strands aligned side by side. They are very large, up to 2000um long, and show characteristic banding patterns when stained. The bands correspond to regions of coiled DNA and contain genes, while interbands have less coiled DNA. Gene activity causes some bands to expand and puff out, indicating active transcription in those regions. Polytene chromosomes are useful for mapping genes and studying patterns of gene expression.