Blood Flashcards
Week 6
Plasma
- 90% water
- 10% solutes: proteins, gases, electrolytes, nutrient, and waste
Proteins: - albumin: major constituent of plasma – colloid osmotic pressure
- carrier proteins too (hormones)
- Immunoglobulins: Abs (antibodies) secreted by plasma
- Non-immune globulins: hemoblohin
- Fibrinogen: hemostasis
Albumin
Major transporter for cholesterol and maintains osmotic balance
Blood smear
1) drop blood spread evenly over surface of slide
2) dried + stained
3) erythrocytes most abundant
4) thrombocytes (platelets)
5) leukocytes
- granulocytes: neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils
- agranulocytes (natural killer cells): lymphocytes and monocytes
Erythrocyte structure + function
- Enucleate: lacks nucleus
- Cytoplasm filled with hemoglobin - specialized for O2 delivery and CO2 removal
- stains evenly with eosin
- flexible plasma membrane:
- integral membrane proteins - span the membrane (glycophorin)
- peripheral membrane proteins - inner surface; lattice or mesh (spectrin)
Hereditary Spherocytosis + Elliptocytosis
Spherocytosis: mutation in spectrin
- fatigue
- yellow skin and eyes (jaundice)
- enlarged spleen
- blood smear may show elliptical rbcs
- complete blood count (cbc) may show anemia or signs rbc destruction
- ultrasound of gallbladder may show gallstones
hypochromia
RBCs appear pale in smear - anemia
Anemia and malaria
- Protozoan parasite: Plasmodium faciparum
- Infectious merozoites - polarized for entering erythrocytes (hide from immune system)
Spreading malaria
Parasitophosophorous vacuole: merozoite inside of a vacuole formed by RBC plasma membrane pinching off
- safe from the immune system and other killing enzymes
Malaria infected RBCs
- Nodules form from protein-protein interactions
- RBCs become stiff+sticky and can clog vessels
Sickle cell disease
- Abnormal hemoglobin that can lead to blocking
CRISPR CAS9: used to repair stem cells (specifically beta-globin gene)
Iron deficiency
- appears paler pink around the edges with a white center
- more flimsy because RBCs get beaten up and break down
Polycythemia
- too many circulating RBCs and elevated hematocrit
- primary polycythemia - polycythemia vera
- caused by tumor-like condition of bone marrow: erythropoiesis proceeds at uncontrolled rate
- secondary polycythemia
- erythropoietin-induced adaptive mechanism to improve blood’s oxygen carrying capacity in response to prolonged reduced oxygen delivery to the tissue: occurs normally in people living at high altitudes
Polycythemia Vera
Symptoms: discolored skin, blurry vision, headaches, fatigue
V: Looks crazy
Thrombocytes
Platelets
- derived from megakaryocytes (blood marrow)
- platelet demarcation channels: invaginations of plasma membrane leads to pinching off of thrombocytes
- LM: foamy cytoplasm indicated platelet formation
Thrombocytes
1) Peripheral zone: plasma membrane and glycocalyx functions as receptor during hemostasis
2) Structure zone: microtubules and actin - maintain disc shape
3) Organelle zone: mitochondria and others
- granules contain
- serotonin: vasoconstrictor
- ADP and thromboxane A2: aid aggregation
Leukocytes
Granulocytes and agranulocytes
Neutrophils
- A type of granulocyte
- polymorphonuclear: multi-lobed nuclei connected by thinner strands
- 3 types of granules:
- specific granules: enzymes, complement activators, and antimicrobial proteins
- azurophilic granules: lysosomes (larger), contain myeloperoxidase (MPO)
- tertiary granules: metalloproteinases - aid in neutrophil migration
Neutrophil phagocytosis
3 types of receptors:
- Fc: recognizes IgG of opsonized bacterium
- Toll-like receptor: pattern recognition receptors - endotoxins, lipopolysaccharides
- complement receptors: facilitates binding and phagocytosis
Chronic neutrophilic leukemia
rare, unknown cause
- elevation of neutropils
Neutrophil killing
murderers
Eosinophils
- same size as neutrophils
- multi-lobed nucleus with refractory granules (crystal-like)
Two types of granules:
1) specific granules: contain crystalloid body:- major basic protein (MPB- cytotoxic to invading protozoans and helminthes)
- eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN - disrupts invading organisms nervous system)
2) azurophilic: lysosomes
Basophils
- Same size as neutrophils
- numerous large granules in cytoplasm
- low abundance in blood smear
- multi-lobed nuclear obscured by granules
- Fc receptors with high affinity for IgE concentrated on cell surface
Two types of granules:
1) specific granules: - heparin: anticoagulant
- histamine: dilates vessels
- IL-4: stimulates IgE production
2) azurophillic: lysozymes
Lymphocyte
- Most common type of agranulocyte
- same size as erythrocyte (RBC), enlargens to double when active
- Cannot diff T, B, or natural killer cells using typical microscopy
- Large lymphocytes: activated lymphocytes or NK cells
- Medium: more common than large
- Small: majority of circulating cells
- Kidney bean shaped nucleus
- A few mitochondria
- golgi evident
Monocyte
- Largest leukocyte
- bone marrow -> tissues become resident macrophages
- osteoclasts - bone
- alveolar macrophages - lung
- Kupfer cells: liver
- etc
- even more indented nucleus than lymphocytes and larger
