If RBCs don't have a nucleus then how do they divide in the bone marrow?
Open in App
Solution
RBCs divide in the bone marrow as follow:
Erythrocytes, also known as Red Blood Cells (RBCs), are an important cellular component of blood.
These cells circulate in the blood, carrying oxygen from the lungs to all of the body's tissues. It is responsible for giving blood its distinctive color. These are biconcave in shape.
These are produced continuously in the marrow of certain bones.
In adults, the principal sites of RBC production or erythropoiesis, are the marrow spaces of the vertebrae, ribs, breastbone, and pelvis.
Within the bone marrow, these cells are derived from a primitive precursor stem cell known as hemocytoblast, a nucleated cell in which there is no hemoglobin.
Proliferation occurs as a result of several successive cell divisions-hemocytoblast, proerythroblast, early erythroblast, late erythroblast, normoblast, reticulocyte, and erythrocyte.
During maturation, haemoglobin appears in the cell, and then the nucleus becomes progressively smaller.
After a few days, the cell loses its nucleus and is then introduced into the bloodstream in the vascular channels of the marrow.
