Block 4 (Josie's Notes) Flashcards
What percentage of the blood is formed elements?
- 45%
What percentage of the blood is plasma?
- 55%
What are the formed elements of the blood?
- Erythrocytes (red blood cells)
- Leukocytes (white blood cells)
- Platelets
What are erythrocytes?
- Red blood cells
- Transport oxygen and carbon dioxide
What are leukocytes?
- White blood cells
- Contribute in different ways to the body’s defence mechanism
What are the five types of leukocytes?
- Neutrophils
- Basophils
- Eosinophils
- Monocytes
- Lymphocytes (B cells, T cells, NK cells)
What are platelets?
- Release chemicals that promote blood clotting
- Contain three types of granules - alpha, dense, lambola
What is blood plasma?
- Watery extracellular matrix that contains dissolved substances
What is the production of red blood cells called?
- Erythropoiesis
Describe erythropoiesis?
- Starts in the red bone marrow with a proerythroblast
- Proerythroblast divides several times, producing cells that begin to synthesise haemoglobin
- A cell near the end of the development sequence ejects its nucleus and becomes a reticulocyte
- Loss of nucleus causes the centre of the cell to indent, producing a bioconcave shape
- RBCs pass from red bone marrow into the bloodstream by squeezing between endothelial cells of blood capillaries
- Reticulocytes develop into erythrocytes within 1 to 2 days after release from red bone marrow
Describe the structure of red blood cells?
- Bioconcave discs
- No nucleus
- Strong flexible plasma membrane - Allows deformation without rupturing
- Certain glycolipids in the plasma membrane are antigens - Account for the various blood groups (ABO, Rh)
- Can’t reproduce
- Can’t carry out extensive metabolic activities
- Cytosol contains haemoglobin molecules
How are red blood cells highly specialised for their function?
- No nucleus - All internal space available for oxygen transport
- Lacks mitochondria and generates ATP aerobically - Doesn’t use up oxygen
- Bioconcave disc - Greater surface area for diffusion
Describe the structure of haemoglobin?
- 2 alpha globin chains
- 2 beta globin chains
- 4 haem groups - Each is a porphyrin ring with an iron ion in the centre to bind oxygen
What are the different isoforms of haemoglobin?
- HbA (normal) - 2 alpha chains, 2 beta chains
- HbA2 - 2 alpha chains, 2 delta chains
- HbF (foetal) - 2 alpha chains, 2 gamma chains
- HbS - Improper beta chain folding, sickle cell anaemia
- HbE - Mutated beta globin, mild microcytic anaemic and enlargement of the spleen
- HbC - Mutated beta globin, mild haemolytic anaemia
Which leukocytes are granular?
- Basophil
- Neutrophil
- Eosinophil
Which leukocytes are agranular?
- Monocyte
- Lymphocyte
Describe the structure of neutrophils?
- Small, pale lilac granules
- Granules are neutrophilic (don’t attract wither acidic or basic stain)
- Nucleus has two to five lobes connected by thin strands of genetic material
What does it mean when neutrophil nuclei have more lobes?
- The cell is older
What is the function of neutrophils?
- Phagocytise bacteria
Describe the structure of eosinophils?
- Large granules
- Granules are eosinophilic (stained orange-red with acidic dyes)
- Nucleus usually has two lobes connected by a thin or thick strand of nuclear material
What is the function of eosinophils?
- Kill parasitic worms
- Complex role in allergy and asthma
Describe the structure of basophils?
- Round, variable sized granules
- Granules are basophilic (stained blue-purple with basic dyes)
- Granules commonly obscure nucleus, which has two lobes
What is the function of basophils?
- Release histamine and other mediators of inflammation
- Contains heparin (anticoagulant)
Describe the structure of lymphocytes?
- Nucleus stains dark and is round or indented
- Cytoplasm stains blue and forms a rim around the nucleus
What is the function of lymphocytes?
- B cells - Release antibodies and assist activation of T cells
- T cells - T helper (CD4+) activate and regulate T and B cells, cytotoxic T (CD8+) attack virus infected and tumor cells
- NK cells - Attack virus infected and tumor cells
Describe the structure of monocytes?
- Nucleus is usually horseshoe shaped
- Cytoplasm is blue-grey and has a foamy appearance (due to lysosomes)
What are monocytes called when they migrate into tissues?
- Macrophages
What is the function of monocytes?
- Phagocytosis
- Macrophages in tissue
What are MHC antigens?
- Major histocompatibility complex antigens
- White blood cells and all other nucleated cells in the body have MHC antigens
- They are unique for each person
- Essential for the acquired immune system to recognise foreign molecules
Describe the formation of platelets?
- Under the influence of thrombopoietin, myeloid stem cells develop into megakaryocyte units that develop into megakaryoblasts
- Megakaryoblasts transform into megakaryocytes that splinter into 2000 to 3000 fragments
- Each fragment enclosed by a piece of the plasma membrane is a platelet
- This happens in the red bone marrow, platelets then enter the blood circulation
What are the critical components of platelets?
- Membrane proteins
- Secretory granules (alpha, lambola, dense)
- Surface connected open cannalicular system (SCOCS)
What do alpha granules contain?
- Platelet factor 4,
- vWF
- Thrombospodian
- Fibronectin
What do lambola granules contain?
- Hydrolytic enzymes
What do dense granules contain?
- ADP
- ATP
- Calcium
- Serotonin
What do the chemicals in plasma granules do?
- Promote blood clotting
- Form platelet plug
What is haematopoiesis?
- The process by which the formed elements of the blood develop
Where is the primary site of haematopoiesis in adults?
- Red bone marrow
What are the two types of stem cells that develop from pluripotent stem cells in order to form blood cells?
- Myeloid stem cells - Develop in red bone marrow
- Lymphoid stem cells - Begin their development in red bone marrow but complete it in lymphatic tissue
Name three haemopoietic growth factors?
- Erythropoietin (EPO)
- Thrombopoietin (TPO)
- Cytokines
What is erythropoietin?
- Increases the number of red blood cell precursors
- Produced primarily by cells in the kidneys
What is thrombopoietin?
- Stimulates the formation of platelets from megakaryocytes
- Produced by the liver
What are cytokines?
- Stimulate proliferation of progenitor cells in the red bone marrow
- Activate and regulate activities of cells involved in nonspecific defences (B cells and T cells)
What are the two important families of cytokines that stimulate white blood cell formation?
- Colony-stimulating factors
- Interleukins
Where are blood cells formed in the foetus?
- Yolk sac from week 4
- Liver until shortly before birth
- Spleen until cartilagenous bones vascularise
Where are blood cells formed in infants and adults?
- Marrow of most bones in children
- Marrow of pelvis, sternum, vertebrae, and cranial bones in adults
What is blood plasma made of?
- Water (91.5%)
- Protein (7%)
- Other solutes (1.5%)
Name some proteins found in blood plasma?
- Albumin
- Globulins
- Fibrinogen
Where are plasma proteins synthesised?
- By hepatocytes in the liver
What is the ABO blood group based on?
- Two glycolipid antigens - A and B
What is blood group A?
- Only have antigen A
What is blood group B?
- Only have antigen B
What is blood group AB?
- Have both A and B antigens
What is blood group O?
- Have neither A nor B antigens
What are agglutinins?
- Antibodies for the antigens your red blood cells lack
How many alleles does the gene controlling the ABO blood group have?
- 3
- IA and IB are codominant
- i is recessive (type O)
Which blood group is the universal donor?
- Group O
Which blood group is the universal acceptor?
- Group AB
What is Rh+?
- People who have Rh antigens on their red blood cells
What is Rh-?
- People who lack Ph antigens
What happens if an Rh- person receives Rh+ blood?
- Immune system starts making anti-Rh antibodies that remain in the blood
- If second Rh+ transfusion is given later, anti-Rh antibodies will cause agglutination (clumping together) and hemolysis of red blood cells
What is primary lymphoid tissue?
- Sites where lymphocytes differentiate to express antigen receptors
What are the primary lymphoid tissues?
- Thymus (T lymphocytes)
- Bone marrow (B lymphocytes)
What is secondary lymphoid tissue?
- Sites for turning on the acquired immune response
What are the secondary lymphoid tissues?
- Lymph nodes - Meeting place for cells of the immune system
- Spleen - Directs immune responses to antigens, important in clearance of old red blood cells
- MALT - Aggregates of lymphocytes (GALT, NALT)
What is an immunoglobulin (antibody)?
- Combines specifically with the epitope on the antigen that triggered its production
- Aids in the pathogens destruction
What are the main actions of antibodies?
- Neutralising antigens
- Immobilising bacteria - Limits spread
- Agglutinating and precipitating antigen
- Activating compliment
- Enhancing phagocytosis
What are the four polypeptide chains in antibodies?
- 2 heavy chains
- 2 light chains
What holds the light chains and the heavy chains together?
- Disulfide bond
What is the hinge region? (2)
- Two disulfide bonds link the midregions of the two heavy chains
- The hinge region is flexible
What is the part of the molecule with only the heavy chain called?
- Fragment crystaliser
What is the part of the molecule with the combination of light and heavy chains?
- Fragment antigen binding
What are the five types of antibodies?
- IgG
- IgA
- IgM
- IgD
- IgE
What is the most abundant antibody?
- IgG
Where are IgG antibodies found?
- Blood, lymph, intestines
What do IgG antibodies do?(3)
- Enhances phagocytosis
- Neutralises toxins
- Triggering compliment
Which antibodies can cross the placenta?
- IgG
Where are IgA antibodies found?
- sweat
- tears
- mucus
- saliva
What do IgA antibodies do?
- Provides localised protection of mucous membranes
Where are IgM antibodies found?
- Blood, lymph
What is the first antibody to be secreted after exposure to antigen?
- IgM
What do IgM antibodies do?
- Activated compliment
- Causes agglutination and lysis of microbes
What type of antibodies are ABO antibodies?
- IgM
Where are IgD antibodies found?
- Mainly on surface of B cells as antigen receptor
What do IgD antibodies do?
- Activation of B cells
Where are IgE antibodies located?
- Located on mast cells and basophils
What do IgE antibodies do?
- Involved in allergic and hypersensitive reactions
- Protection against worms
Where do B cells originate?
- Red bone marrow
What do B cells form from?
- Common lymphoid progenitor cells (CLPs)
Where does negative selection occur?
- Red bone marrow
What is negative selection of B cells?
- If a cell expresses surface IgM that is specific to multivalent cell surface antigens (MHC) they are eliminated by clonal deletion
- If a cell binds soluble self-antigens, it loses its ability to express IgM via downregulation (anergy)
What do immature B cells act as?
- Antigen presenting cells
What do immature B cells do? (3)
- Ingest antigens via phagocytosis
- Process antigens and present them on the cells surface for activation purposes
- Migrate to lymphatic tissue to present antigen to T cells
What are the two types of mature B cells?
- Plasma cells
- Memory cells
What is the function of plasma cells?
- Secrete antibodies
What is the function of memory cells?
- Specific to certain antigens
- Have a long lifespan
- Activate in the presence of a second infection
Where do T cells form?
- T cells form in the red bone marrow from lymphoid stem cells
- T cells then migrate to the thymus