Non-nucleated Information and Courses from MediaLab, Inc.
These are the MediaLab courses that cover Non-nucleated and links to relevant pages within the course.
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| On a Wright's-stained smear, the blue/gray appearing non-nucleated red cells are called: | View Page |
| Appearance of the Erythrocyte Erythrocytes are non-nucleated, round, biconcave, disc-shaped cells They are 6.7 to 7.7μ in diameter, 2μ thick, and have an average volume (Mean Corpuscular Volume, MCV) of 80-100μ3. | View Page |
| Glossary of Terms A through M. Antibody - A modified type of serum globulin synthesized by lymphoid tissue in response to antigenic stimulus. By virtue of specific combining sites each antibody reacts with only one antigen. Anucleate - Having no nucleus. Azurophilic granules - The well-defined large reddish granules (lysosomes) which may be present in large lymphocytes. They are called "azurophilic granules" because they stain blue with the azure stains which were originally used. Basophilic granules - Specific granules present in the cytoplasm of basophils. These granules are large and stain purple-black due to their strong affinity for basic stain. B-cell - Bone marrow derived lymphocytes which produce humoral antibodies. Biconcave - Having two concave surfaces. Cellular Immunity - The capacity of a small proportion of lymphoid population to exhibit response to a specific antigen. Chromomere - The centrally located granular portion of the platelet. Clone - A population of cells descended from a single cell. Delayed Hypersensitivity - (part of cellular immunity) that develops slowly over a period of 24-72 hours after an antigenic stimulus. It consists of an accumulation of cells around small vessels and/or nerves. Example: Tuberculin skin test reaction. Digestive Enzyme - A substance that catalyzes or accelerates the process of digestion. Eosinophilic Granules - Specific granules present in the cytoplasm of eosinophils. These granules are large, refractile spheres which stain reddish-orange due to their strong affinity for acid stain. Erythrocyte (red blood cell, RBC) - One of the elements found in peripheral blood. Normally the mature form is a non-nucleated, circular, biconcave disk adapted to transport respiratory gases. Fixed Macrophage - A phagocyte that is non-motile. Free Macrophage - An ameboid phagocyte present at the site of inflammation. Graft Rejection - A transplanted tissue that is rejected by the body's antibodies. Graft vs. Host Reaction - A complication that occurs when an implanted piece of tissue, which contains antibodies, rejects the host's tissue. Granulocyte - A leukocyte which contains granules in its cytoplasm, i.e., neutrophilic, eosinophilic, or basophilic granules. Half-life - is the length of time it takes for half of the cells circulating at a given time to leave the blood for the tissues. Hemocyte - Any blood cell or formed element of the blood. Hemostasis - A mechanism of the vascular system to arrest an escape of blood. It involves an interaction between blood vessels, platelets, and coagulation. Heparin - A mucopolysaccharide acid which, when present in sufficient amounts, functions as an anticoagulant by inhibiting thrombin. Histamine - A powerful dilator of capillaries and a stimulator of gastric secretions. Humoral Immunity - Acquired immunity produced after response to an antigenic stimulus in which B cells produce circulating antibodies. Hyalomere - the clear, blue non-granular zone surrounding the chromomere of a platelet. Immune Response - The interaction of a cell and an antigen that results in a proliferation of the cell and a capacity to produce antibodies. Isotonic Fluid - A fluid whose elements have an equal osmotic pressure. Leukocyte (white blood cell, WBC) - One of the formed elements of the blood; involved primarily with the body's defense. Lysosome - A microscopic body within cell cytoplasm; contains various enzymes, mainly hydrolytic, which are released upon injury to the cell. Megakaryocyte - A giant cell of the bone marrow from which platelets are derived. Mononuclear - A cell having a single nucleus. | View Page |
| Normal Red Cells Normal red cells are seen in this field. Mature erythrocytes can be described as round, elastic, non-nucleated, bi-concave discs which appear buff colored on Wright's stained smears. Notice that many of the cells have an area of central pallor which covers about one-third of the cell. The pallor occurs as a result of the disc-shaped cells being spread on the slide. Normal mature red blood cells have an average diameter of 7.2 microns with a range of 6-9 microns. This is approximately the same size as the nucleus of a small lymphocyte, which is often used as a guideline when determining the size of the red cells on a slide.
The average thickness of a normal mature red blood cell is 2.1 microns with a mean corpuscular volume (MCV) of 87 cubic mircons/femtoliters. | View Page |
| Color of Erythrocytes In addition to the amount of hemoglobin present, the color of the cell must also be considered. Completely mature red cells appear buff-colored, while slightly immature non-nucleated red cells (reticulocyte stage) appear blue/gray on Wright's stained smears due to the presence of residual ribonucleic acid (RNA).The terms used to describe these cells are polychromasia or polychromatophilia. Polychromatophilic cells are frequently larger in size than mature red cells and can be distinguished from both types of macrocytes by this distinctive color.
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