Biology Lab 2

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 Blood Cells
 Blood cells are formed in the bone marrow

 All blood cells arise from the same bone

marrow stem cells.

 Stem cells are immortal, meaning they never

die (at least not until you do)
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 Stem cells are also undifferentiated meaning
they have not yet developed into a particular
cell type

 Furthermore, stem cells are pluripotent,

meaning they have the potential to become any
type of blood cell.

 These immortal, undifferentiated,

pluripotent stem cells give rise to
erythrocytes, leukocytes and platelets
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 Leukocytes, also known as white blood cells:

 A group of related cell types that involved in

immune function
 Leukocytes include:

1. Neutrophils
2. Eosinophils
3. Basophils
4. Lymphocytes
5. Monocytes

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 Erythrocytes
 Erythrocytes (RBCs)
function to transport oxygen
in the blood.

 The shape of erythrocytes is

ideal for this function

 From the top, RBCs appear to be circular,

circular but a side
view shows that they are actually biconcaved discs
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 This shape increases the surface area-to-volume ratio
of the cell,
cell thus increasing the efficiency of diffusion of
oxygen and carbon dioxide into and out of the cell

 Erythrocytes also have a flexible plasma membrane

 This feature allows erythrocytes, which have a 7mm

diameter,
diameter to squeeze through capillaries as small as 3
mm wide

 Erythrocytes contain tremendous amounts of

hemoglobin,
hemoglobin the protein that binds oxygen

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 In order to make room for more hemoglobin to carry
more oxygen, erythrocytes loose their nucleus and
other organelles as they develop in the bone marrow

 Because they lack a nucleus and other cellular

machinery,
machinery erythrocytes cannot repair themselves
when damaged, consequently they have a limited life
span of about 120 days

 The removal of old and dying erythrocytes is

carryied out by the spleen

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 Erythrocytes, which represent the most
numerous cell type in the body die at a rapid
rate, 2-3 million erythrocytes die every
second

 Erythrocyte production must equal

erythrocyte death or the cell population
would decline

Erythrocytes are produced through a process

called erythropoesis
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 Whole Blood
 Whole blood is composed of
plasma (liquid), cells and
platelets

 If whole blood is placed into

a tube and centrifuged, the
cells and the plasma will
separate

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 The erythrocytes, which are heavy, will
pack into the bottom of the tube

 The plasma will be at the top of the tube

 The leukocytes and platelets will form a

thin layer (buffy coat) between the
erythrocytes and the plasma

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