1. Where do blood cells arise from during embryonic development?
• yolk sac in vertebrate embryo produce stem cells that colonize fetal bone marrow,
liver, spleen & thymus
• liver stops producing blood cells at birth, but spleen and thymus remain involved
with WBC production
• red bone marrow (myeloid hematopoiesis) produces RBCs, WBCs and platelets
2. Role of hemacytoblasts (stem cells)? What are the major cell lines they can follow to
mature into blood cells?
• Hemacytoblasts give rise to intermediate progenitors of various blood cell types
o Proerythroblasts: Develop into red blood cells
o Myeloblasts: Develop into basophils, neutrophils, eosinophils
o Lymphoblasts: Develop into lymphocytes
o Monoblasts: Develop into monocytes
o Megakaryoblasts: Develop into platelets
3. Steps in development of RBCs - Development takes 3-5 days & involves
reduction in cell size, increase in cell number, synthesis of hemoglobin & loss of nucleus
blood loss speeds up the process increasing reticulocyte count
• Steps:
o Uncommitted stem cells become committed to the erthyroid line and become
proerthyroblasts (erythropoietin helps process)
o Proerythroblast loses nucleus and becomes a normoblast
o Hemoglobin synthesis occurs
o Termed a reticulocyte when a large, nonnucleated immature cells that has
remnants of the golgi apparatus mitochondria, and other cytoplasmic
organelles
o Stays in bone marrow before becoming mature erythrocyte
o Reticulocyte reabsorbs the reticulum and then becomes a mature erythrocyte.
It obtains the biconcave disk shape now.
4. Anemia- hemoglobin deficiency in blood that is caused by too few RBCs or too little
hemoglobin in cells
Effects of anemia:
• tissue hypoxia and necrosis (short of breath & lethargic)
• low blood osmolarity (tissue edema)
• low blood viscosity (heart races & pressure drops)
5. WBCs and their functions:
• Eosinophils – granulocyte - pink-orange granules & bilobed nucleus,
o ( in parasitic infections or allergies)
o phagocytosis of antigen-antibody complexes,
allergens
o decrease inflammation
, o release enzymes destroy parasites such as worms
• Basophils – granulocyte - abundant, dark violet granules (<1%), large U- to S-shaped
nucleus hidden by granules
o ( in chicken pox, sinusitis, diabetes)
o Similar to mast cells (in tissues)
o secrete histamine (vasodilator)
o secrete heparin (anticoagulant)
o important in allergic reactions
• Neutrophils – granulocyte - multilobed nucleus (60-70%), fine reddish to violet
granules in cytoplasm
o ( in bacterial infections)
o phagocytosis of bacteria
o release antimicrobial chemicals
o most common
• Monocytes – agranulocyte - kidney- or horseshoe-shaped nucleus (3-8%), large cell
with abundant cytoplasm
o ( in viral infections & inflammation)
o differentiate into macrophages
o phagocytize pathogens and debris
o “present” antigens to activate other immune cells
• T cells (lymphocytes)-agranulocytes - leave bone marrow unfinished, go to thymus
to complete their development (T cells), round, uniform dark violet nucleus (25-33%)
variable amounts of bluish cytoplasm
o ( in diverse infections &
immune responses)
o destroy cancer & foreign cells & virally infected cells
o “present” antigens to activate other immune cells
o coordinate actions of other immune cells
o secrete antibodies & provide immune memory
• B cells (lymphocytes)
o Antibody production
6. Properties of WBCs
• 1. Margination- white blood cells leave the main blood stream and migrate toward
vessel walls
• 2. Diapedesis- neutrophils and monocytes squeeze through pores of blood
capillaries
• 3. Ameboid Motion- neutrophils and macrophages can send out cytoplasmic
“feet” which allows them to move through tissues to reach invaders
• 4. Chemotaxis- neutrophils and macrophages can follow a chemical “scent”
produced by inflamed/infected tissues
• 5. Phagocytosis