haematopoiesis, stem cells and bone marrow Flashcards
what are pluripotent stem cells
completelty undifferentiated stem cells - can form any tissue in the body
what kind of stem cells are harmatopoietic stem cells
multi potent
where are adult haematopoietic stem cells found
bone marrow
haematopoetic stem cell differentiation pathways (3)
- stem cell -> myeloid stem cell -> myeloblast -> granulocytes (eosinophils, neutrophils, basophils etc.);
- stem cell -> myeloid stem cell -> RBC;
- stem cell -> lymphoid stem cell -> lymphoblast -> B/T lymphocyte, NK cells
where is blood formed in the foetus
yolk sac
what is red marrow
the bone marrow that contains blood stem cells
what happens to red marrow as ppl age
it is replaced by yellow marrow (fatty tissue) and haematopoiesis is restricted to the axial skeleton
what is extramedullary haematopoeisis and when does to occur
when the liver and spleen are recruited to produce blood cells (yellow marrow may also be converted back to red); occurs under stress e.g. myelofibrosis
what is myelofibrosis
bone marrow cancer that leads to the occupation of bone marrow space with fibrotic tissue -> no space for blood cell production and so body compensates by producing it else where (liver, spleen) -> enlargement of these organs is seen
what are platelets formed from
they are small particles of cytoplasm that have budded off from megakaryocyte cells (they are not themselves cells)
2 common properties of stem cells
the ability to self re-new; ability to differentiate into more specialised cells
what determines the function of the stem cell (proliferation vs specialisation)
the micro environment - growth factors and interactions with neighboring cells determine the type of cell division the stem cell undergoes (symmetric to form specialised cells or asymmetric for self renerwal)
components of the blood in a centrifuge (bottom to top)
erythrocytes (45%) -> buffy coat (platelets +WBCs) ->plasma
volume of blood in an avg man/women
man - 5/6L
women - 4/5L depending on body size, during pregnancy this can increase by 50%
features of a neutrophil on a blood film
purple granules; lobed nucleus (2-5 lobes)
features of an eosinophil on a blood film
large cell, brick-red granules (acidic stain taken up), lobed nucleus (2 lobes)
features of a basophil on a blood film
stain blue (basic stain taken up)
features of a lymphocyte on a blood film
small; small spherical nucleus which stains darkly
features of a monocyte on a blood film
largest WBC, kidney bean shaped nucleus, abundant cytoplasm with pink/purple granules, vacuole often present
what are the important haematopoietic growth factors (4)
- erythropoetin -rbc production, released from kidney;
- thrombopoetin - produced by liver and kidney;
- granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF) - produced by endothelium;
- interleukins/cytokines - released by immune cells to promote further immune cell differentiation
what causes stimulation of erythropoietin
low blood oxygen
what suppresses erythropoietin synthesis
increase in oxygen carrying capacity of the blood (incr. O2 levels)
2 causes of high blood counts
primary - abnormal bone marrow and the usual mechanisms that control cell production/inhibit proliferation have been overcome i.e. cancer;
secondary - normal bone marrow that is being stimulated by environmental factors to produce more cells