composition of blood - red blood cells Flashcards
Where are red blood cells produced?
They are produced in the bone marrow of bones such as the ribs, breastbone, long bones in the arms and legs, and the vertebrae of the backbone
What are red blood cells also known as?
red blood corpuscles or erythrocytes
Describe the appearance of red blood cells
They are small and round in shape.
They have a biconcave shape.
What do red blood cells consist of? (4)
They consist of a flexible membrane containing many molecules of a red protein called haemoglobin.
They have no nuclei.
They have no mitochondria
They have a biconcave shape.
How do red blood cells become damaged?
They become damaged by constantly changing shape in order to pass through narrow blood vessels.
Can red blood cells repair themselves?
no
How long do red blood cells live for?
About 4 months
Where are dead blood cells broken down?
In the liver and spleen
When red blood cells are broken down, where is the iron from the haemoglobin stored in the body?
It is stored in the liver and may be recycled to make new haemoglobin in bone marrow
When red blood cells are broken down, What is the rest of red blood cell and haemoglobin converted to?
The rest of the red blood cell and haemoglobin is converted to bile pigments such as biliverdin and bilirubin.
Name 2 bile pigments
biliverdin and bilirubin
What is the role of red blood cells?
They transport oxygen
What is haemoglobin based on and what can it join and release in?
It is based on molecules of iron and can join with oxygen in areas of high concentration (e.g. the lungs) and release oxygen in areas of low oxygen (e.g. the body cells)
What are red blood cells like when they are first made? What are they called?
When red blood cells (erythrocytes) are first made they have a nucleus.
How do red blood cells lose their nuclei?
They lose their nuclei within a few days, so mature red blood cells have no nuclei. They also lack mitochondria.
