Introduction To Blood And Red Blood Cells Flashcards
What are the normal circulating blood Volume?
5.5l in 70kg man(+/- 71-75ml/kg)
Ave. woman: +/- 4.5l
Baby: 300ml (+/- 8oml/kg)
What are the constituents of blood?
Plasma
White Blood cells(Leukocytes)
Red Blood Cells(Erythrocytes)
Platelets(Thrombocytes)
In men the cells account for approx. 1.
of the blood volume and plasma 2.
In woman the ratio is x:y
- 46%
- 54%
- 42:58
What do haemopoietic stem cells do.
Give rise to all the blood cells
They are self-renewing
They are ‘Nested’ in the bone marrow storma:
-Fat cells,endothelial cells,connective tissue etc
-Produces growth factors which are necessary for stem cell survival
The Sites of Haemopoeisis(Fetus)
0-2 Months: Yolk Sac
2-7 Months: Liver and Spleen
5-9 Months: Bone Marrow
The Sites of Haemopoeisis(Infants)
Bone marrow(Practically in all the bones)
The sites of haemopoeisis(Adults)
Vertebrae Ribs Sternum Skull Sacrum and Pelvis Proximal ends of the femur
When does extramedullary haemopoiesis occur and what is it associated with?
- When the spleen and liver resume their haemopoietic role
- It is associated with:
1. Myelofibrosis
2. Myeloid Leukaemia
3. Compensatory red cell production in severe aneamias(Chronic haemolysis, megablastic anemia, Thalassaemia)
What are the Growth Factors(Hormones which stimulate blood cells to either:
Proliferate(Multiply)
Mature
Function Properly
Differentiate(Develop into a different cell type)
Examples of Growth Factors
Erythropoietin(EPO), Thrombopoietin
Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor(GM-CSF)
Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor(G-CSF)
Steps in the Erythrocyte Production
- Stem Cell(Hemocytoblast)
- Commited cell(Proerythoblast)
- Phase 1: Ribosome Synthesis-Early erythroblast>Late erythoblast
- Phase 2: Hemoglobin Accumulation-Late erythoblast>Nomoblast
- Phase 3: Ejection of nucleus- Nomoblast>Reticulocyte
- Erythocyte
Haemoglobin content of precursor cells:
Stem cells and pronormoblasts: No haemoglobin
Early normoblasts: Some
Late normoblasts and mature red cells: Saturated with haemoglobin
Erythropoietin( EPO) Gene
Location
Production Site
Product
Location:Chromosome 7
Production site/Gene expression:
- Fetus: Liver
- Adult: Kidney(Peritubular intestinal cells) and Liver
Product: Heavy Glycosylated hormone(EPO)
Erythropoietin effects can be classified as Haematological and Non-haematological
Stimulates growth and differentiation
NB for survival of erythroid progenitors:
- Need continual exposure to EPO for survival
- Withdrawal results in Apoptosis
Non-haematological effects of EPO
- Neuroprotection
- Renal Protection
- Retinal Protection
- Wound Healing
- Angiogenesis/Vascular Protection
- Cardioprotection
The Red Blood Cell (General Information)
Structure:
- Biconcave(thinner in the centre)
- Diameter: 7.5 um( Range 6-9)
- No nucleus and mitochondria
- Volume: 82-99 fl
Can pass through narrow capillaries as narrow as 3um(Lungs)
Hypertonic Solution: Shrink
Hypotonic Solution: Becomes enlarge and ruptures
The Red Blood Cell Morphology( Blood Smear)
- Central Pallor( 1/3 of diameter)
- No Inclusions
- Almost the same size as the nucleus of a small lymphocyte
Red Blood Cell Count
Males: 4.6-6.2 x 1012/l
Females: 4.2-5.4 x 1012/l
The orginazation of the Red Blood Cell Membrane
- Highly elastic
- Responds rapidly to applied stress
- Capable of undergoing large membrane extensions
- Stronger than steel i.t.o. structural resistance
Cytoskeletal Proteins
Basic mesh of skeleton composed of interpenetrating hexagons:
-Spectrin: Forms thee side and raadii
-Spectrin self association site: Where two or more
spectrin dimers articulate
-Junctional complexes: Points of convergence of
multiple tetramers