Blood components

Question 1

What are the four main components of blood?

Answer 1

RBC
WBC
Platelets
Plasma

Question 2

What is contained in plasma?

Answer 2

RBC
WBC
Platelets
Soluble fibrinogen

Question 3

What is the role of platelets?

Answer 3

Coagulation

Question 4

How are platelets produced?

Answer 4

Budding off multinucleated megakaryocytes

Question 5

What is the main purpose of RBC?

Answer 5

O2 transportation

Buffer CO2

Question 6

What are some structural peculiarities of the RBC?

Answer 6

Biconcave disk
Full of haemoglobin
No nucleus
No mitochondria
High surface area/volume ratio
Flexible

Question 7

Why are RBC full of haemoglobin?

Answer 7

To carry O2

Question 8

What problem does haemoglobin cause for the cell?

Answer 8

Gives high oncotic gradient

Question 9

How does the cell cope with the oncotic gradient associated with haemoglobin?

Answer 9

NaK ATPase

Question 10

What is the structure of haemoglobin?

Answer 10

Tetrameric globular protein

Haems (Fe2+) group

Question 11

What is the Haems (Fe2+) group made of?

Answer 11

Flat porphyrin ring

1 Fe2+

Question 12

How much O2 does one Fe2+ bind?

Answer 12

Binds 1 O2

Question 13

Can O2 bind to Fe3+?

Answer 13

No

Question 14

What is needed to prevent Fe3+?

Answer 14

Antioxidants

Question 15

What are the two main variants of Hb?

Answer 15

HbA- Adult

HbF- Foetal

Question 16

What are the subunits of HbA?

Answer 16

Alpha

Beta

Question 17

What are the subunits of HbF?

Answer 17

Alpha

Gamma

Question 18

How many globin SU make up a Hb molecule?

Answer 18

4

Question 19

Why don’t RBC have nucli?

Answer 19

More deformable

More room for Hb molecules

Question 20

Why do RBC need power?

Answer 20

To maintain NaK ATPase

Question 21

How does a RBC generate ATP?

Answer 21

Gylcolysis

Question 22

Why can RBC only do glycolysis?

Answer 22

No mitochondria

Question 23

Why do RBC have a high surface area to volume ratio

Answer 23

Allow for gas exchange

Question 24

Why are RBCs flexible

Answer 24

To squeeze through capillaries

Question 25

What makes RBC flexible?

Answer 25

Spectrin 'spar' proteins

Question 26

How long does a RBC live for?

Answer 26

120 days

Question 27

What is the process of forming new RBC called?

Answer 27

Erythropoiesis

Question 28

From differentiation what are the steps of RBC formation?

Answer 28

Pronormoblast/Proerythroblast Normoblast/Erythroblast Reticulocyte RBC

Question 29

Where are Pronormoblast/Proerythroblast found?

Answer 29

Restricted to bone marrow

Question 30

What is the first cell morphologically recognisable as a RBC?

Answer 30

Pronormoblast/Proerythroblast

Question 31

What RBC progenitor leaves the bone marrow?

Answer 31

Reticulocyte

Question 32

How long do reticulocytes last outside the bone marrow before becoming RBC?

Answer 32

3 days

Question 33

How is RBC formation regulated?

Answer 33

Erythropoietin | Quality control

Question 34

Where is EPO released from?

Answer 34

Kidney

Question 35

What regulates EPO?

Answer 35

Hypoxia inducible factor 1 gene

Question 36

When do kidneys release EPO?

Answer 36

In response to hypoxia

Question 37

Where in the kidneys sense hypoxia?

Answer 37

Juxtaglomerula apparatus

Question 38

What percentage of RBC are destroyed before leaving the bone marrow and why?

Answer 38

10% | Due to defects

Question 39

Where is Hb formed?

Answer 39

Cytoplasm of developing RBC

Question 40

Where do RBC get iron from?

Answer 40

Macrophoage stores

Question 41

Where does RBC breakdown occur?

Answer 41

Spleen | Occasionally liver

Question 42

What breaks down RBC?

Answer 42

Macrophages

Question 43

What contents of RBC are recycled?

Answer 43

Globin chains | Haem groups

Question 44

What are globin chains recycled to?

Answer 44

AA

Question 45

What are haem groups broken down to?

Answer 45

Iron | Bilirubin

Question 46

Describe Haem to bilirubin

Answer 46

Haem -> Porphyrin -> Biliverdin -> Bilirubin

Question 47

What happens to bilirubin?

Answer 47

Taken to liver and conjugated then excreted as bile