Red blood cell

A red blood cell, or erythrocyte, is a blood cell that transports oxygen from the lungs to tissues, chiefly through hemoglobin. In mammals, mature cells lack a nucleus and most organelles.

Hemoglobin: The iron-containing protein in red blood cells that binds oxygen reversibly. Its reversible oxygen binding makes red blood cells the blood’s main oxygen carriers.
Hematopoiesis: The production of blood cells from hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Red blood cells are one major lineage produced by this process.
Complete blood count: A laboratory test that measures blood-cell counts and several related indices. Its red-cell measurements help assess anemia and other blood disorders.
White blood cell: A blood cell involved in immune defense against infection and other threats. Unlike red blood cells, white blood cells primarily defend the body rather than carry oxygen.
Oxygen–hemoglobin dissociation curve: A graph relating oxygen partial pressure to hemoglobin’s oxygen saturation. It explains how hemoglobin loads oxygen in the lungs and releases it in tissues.
Erythropoiesis: The development of red blood cells from hematopoietic precursors. This specialized pathway produces the cells that circulate in blood.
Hematocrit: The proportion of blood volume occupied by red blood cells. It estimates how much of the circulating blood consists of oxygen-carrying cells.
Platelet: A small cell fragment that helps form blood clots and repair damaged vessels. Platelets support hemostasis, a role distinct from red cells’ gas transport.
Bohr effect: The reduction in hemoglobin’s oxygen affinity caused by increased carbon dioxide or acidity. Active, acidic tissues promote oxygen unloading from passing red blood cells.
Erythropoietin: A hormone, produced mainly by the kidneys, that stimulates red blood cell production. Low oxygen availability prompts erythropoietin release and increased cell production.

Linked from 28 pages