Structural and Functional Characteristics
What is the shape of Erythrocytes?
Small cells, shaped like biconcave discs (flattened discs with depressed centers)
Red blood cells' life span is?
100 to 120 days
What does the production of the erythrocytes occur?
Red Bone Marrow
What does Erythropoiesis depend on?
Nutrients, B vitamins, and iron
What is anemia?
A condition where the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity is too low to support normal metabolism.
Describe a mature erythrocytes
Mature erythrocytes are bound by a plasma membrane, but lacks a nucleus and have essentially no organelles
The Spleen is also known as?
The red blood cell graveyard
Hematopoietic stem cell is also called what?
What does too many RBCs or excess oxygen in the bloodstream do to erythropoietin (EPO) production?
It lowers EPO production
abnormal hemoglobin, this process makes the red blood cells have crescent shape when blood is lower than normal.
Describe hemoglobin
Hemoglobin is contained in erythroses, rather than existing free in plasma, prevents it from leaking out of the bloodstream through porous capillary walls and clogging up the kidneys.
The balance of the heme group is degraded to?
Bilirubin
What are its four main components?
Red Blood Cells, White Blood Cells, Platelets, and Plasma.
How does testosterone affect erythropoietin?
Enhances EPO production leading to more RBC counts in males.
What is the bone marrow cancer, characterized by dizziness and exceptional high RBC count called?
Polycythemia vera
What are the four polypeptide chains that globin has?
Globin is consist of four polypeptide chains: two alpha and two beta
What happens to the core of Iron?
Salvaged, bound to protein, and stored for reuse.
Where does the migration happen when the blood cells mature?
What happens to athletes that inject EPO into their body?
It increases their hematocrit and due to long term effects, the blood concentrates further which can cause clotting, stroke, or heart failure.
What is Secondary Polycythemias?
Less oxygen is available or EPO production increases
What are the different structures of hemoglobin? Describe each structure.
Oxyhemoglobin is a three-dimensional shape and becomes ruby red.
deoxyhemoglobin, or reduced hemoglobin, becomes dark red.
Carbaminohemoglobin occurs more readily when hemoglobin is in the reduced state
The protein of the hemoglobin is what?
Metabolized, broken down to amino acids, released to circulation
What happens when a cell is committed to a specific blood cell pathway?
It cannot change.
What are causes of drops in normal blood oxygen levels?
-Reduced RBC count from bleeding/excessive destruction
-Not enough hemoglobin per RBC
-Low oxygen availability from high altitudes/pneumonia
What makes blood doping different from any other erythrocyte disorders?
Artificially induced polycythemia, illegal as it is considered as "cheating", it spikes up an athlete's endurance and speed because of higher hematocrit.