HEMATOLOGY

Normal Maturation of Blood Cells

FEATURES OF NORMAL BLOOD CELL

MATURATION

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BLAST CELLS

NOMENCLATURE

MATURATION SERIES OF:

a. Erythrocytes
b. Leukocytes
c. Platelets

Normal Blood Cell Maturation Sequence:

1. Cell Size
2. Nucleus
3. Cytoplasm
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FEATURES OF BLOOD CELL MATURATION

A precursor cell also called a Blast Cell ( BLAST)

can give rise to all blood cells have certain
broadly similar characteristics:

❏ They are relatively large cells ( up to 20 u

in diameter).
❏ Cytoplasm is small in amount relative to
the size of the nucleus (N:C)
❏ Cytoplasm is deeply basophilic due to the
high content of RNA.
❏ Cytoplasm of blast cells do not contain
granules.
❏ The chromatin of the nuclei is relatively
fine and as the cell matures it becomes
coarser and densely staining.
❏ The nuclei of blast cells contain small,
usually well-defined pale bodies called
the nucleoli.
B. Elaboration and Differentiation of Cytoplasmic
Granules-
In myeloid cells, cytoplasmic differentiation is
characterized by the appearance of granules
A. Eosinophilic or Acidophilic
➔ stain orange red and are
characteristic of the eosinophil
leukocyte
B. Basophilic Granules
➔ blue black, identifies the basophil
leukocyte
C. Neutrophil Granules
➔ stain both acid and basic dyes of a
compound stain, violet or purple
in color

Cytoplasmic Differentiation

A. Loss of Basophilia

The cytoplasm of an immature cell is generally

deeply basophilic, basophilia referring to the
affinity for a basic dye. Basophilia is proportional
to the cytoplasmic content of ribonucleic acid. As
the cell matures, there is a gradual loss of Maturation Sequence
cytoplasmic RNA, and hence, cytoplasmic
basophilia.
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C. Elaboration of Hemoglobin- this is a special

feature of the maturation of erythroid cells.

At first, the immature cell contains no

hemoglobin. Gradually a little appears, and the
most mature normal red blood cell will now be
containing a standard and maximal amount of this
respiratory pigment. At this stage of development
the nucleus is apparently no longer necessary
and is eliminated by extrusion.

E. Alteration in Nuclear Shape

Nuclear maturation of some cell types

II. Nuclear Maturation
D. Reduction in nuclear size, condensation of
chromatin and reduction of nucleoli.
The immature nucleus is round or oval, and the
N/C ratio is high, the netlike nuclear chromatin is
very delicate. As the cell matures, the chromatin
strands become increasingly coarse and clumped.
Simultaneously, a reduction in the number of
nucleolus is noted.
produces striking changes in shape- particularly
true with granulocytes in which the end result is a
nucleus containing 2 or more lobulations
connected by filaments of nuclear membrane.
The more mature the cell, the more lobulations
(polymorphous) the nuclear structure has. Other
cells however that retain their nuclear shapes
become very distinctive for a particular cell type:
lymphocyte-round/oval with cleft monocyte-
kidney-bean shaped/horseshoe shaped
III. Reduction in Cell Size
It is a feature of all cells undergoing maturation,
except those of the megakaryocytic series in
which the youngest cell is smaller than the fully
developed megakaryocyte.
In general however, a mature cell is smaller than
an immature one.
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