Blood cell development

Markedly increased adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity in red blood cells develops into hereditary hemolytic anemia. The mode of inheritance is autosomal dominant. Only four families have been reported so far, including our two (K3,... 

Figure 2.2. Role of cytokines in blood-cell development. Abbreviations CFU, colony-forming unit CFU-GEMM, granulocyte-erythroid-monocyte-megakaryocyte CFU CFU-GM, granulocyte-macrophage CFU CFU-M, macrophage CFU CFU-G, granulocyte CFU CFU-Eos, eosinophil CFU IL, Interleukin. See text for details.

Nitrous oxide can react with vitamin B12, preventing its use in red blood cell development and resulting in anemia. Use of nitrites can rapidly result in fatal methemoglobinemia, a condition that reduces the ability of the blood to transport oxygen. In 1944,11 men were admitted to a New York hospital with bluish discoloration of the skin due to methemoglobinemia. The city toxicologist and the health department eventually determined that salt shakers in a food establishment visited by all of the men contained sodium nitrite instead of table salt, sodium chloride. 

If the damage is to the bone marrow where all the blood cells develop, this causes pancytopenia. In this case, both T- and B-precursor cells are damaged so that the system is compromised as well as other blood cells, including neutrophils. 

Hematopoiesis Determine if the disruption of the gene has affected blood cell development. As an initial approach, the bone marrow cells are analyzed from both femur bones. Femurs are harvested and the bone marrow cavity is washed with saline and the retrieved leukocytes are counted and stained for differential analysis. 

Herrmann F, Lindemann Mertelsmann R. Polypeptides controlling hemopoietic blood cell development and activation. Blut 1987 58 173. 

Two radioactive isotopes of iron are used in medical and scientific research. They are iron-55 and iron-59. These isotopes are used primarily as tracers in studies on blood. A tracer is a radioactive isotope whose presence in a system can easily be detected. The isotope is injected into the system. Inside the system, the isotope gives off radiation. That radiation can be followed by detectors placed around the system. Iron-55 and iron-59 are used to study the way in which red blood cells develop in the body. These studies can be used to tell if a person s blood is healthy. 

Many of the transcription factors containing the helix-loop-helix motif are involved in cellular differentiation (such as myogenin in skeletal muscle, neurogenin in neurogenesis and SCL/tal-1 in hematopoeisis, blood cell development). 

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