RBCs Flashcards
Red blood cells
Specialized cells of the blood, function to carry O2 to tissues and carry CO2 away from tissues
What are the features of the RBCs that aid their function?
Bi-concave shape
Lack of organelle
Metabolic function
How are RBCs formed (erythropoiesis)?
Lack of O2 in tissues triggers the kidney to release a hormone erythropoietin (EPO)
EPO travls to the bone marrow and induces erythrocyte progenitor cells the multiply and differentiate into RBCs
What are reticulocytes?
Young RBCs which which will still contain some organelles (mRNA, ribosomes, golgi)
24-48 hrs to mature
If there in an inc in a reticulocyte count what could that indicate?
Chronic bleeding or hemolytic anemia
If there in a dec in reticulocyte count what could that indicate?
Pernicious anemia or bone marrow dysfunction
What does the biconcave shape do for the RBC?
Gas-exchange: max surface/volume ratio
Deformable: can move in capillaries
Survival in various osmotic pressure, room to swell
Spherocytosis
Deformity in RBCs which leaves them spherical instead of biconcave
Results in anemia
What the content make up of an RBC membrane?
50% lipid, 50% protein
What are the lipids of the RBC membrane?
Cholesterol and phospholipid (PC, PE, PS, Sph)
What are the major phopholipids comprising the RBC membrane?
Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE)
Phosphatidylcholine (PC)
Phosphatidylserine (PS)
Sphingomyelin (Sph)
Which phosphates predominate in the out leaflet of the RBC bilayer?
Sph and PC
What are glycoproteins and what amount of the total RBC lipid are they?
Factors comprising ABO blood groups
5-10%
What are the most well known blood type groups?
ABO and Rb
What is a blood group?
Antigens on the external surface of RBCs