Blood Components and Hemoglobin Lecture

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering the properties, structure, and recycling process of Red Blood Cells and hemoglobin based on lecture notes.

Pluripotent cells

Cells that differentiate into Myeloid or Lymphoid cell lines.

Erythrocytes

Also known as Red Blood Cells (RBCs), these cells contain hemoglobin, are shaped as biconcave discs, and are anuclear.

Biconcave disc

The non-spheroidal shape of erythrocytes that allows them to bend and fit through narrow spaces.

RBC Life Span

The duration of time an erythrocyte lasts in circulation, which is about $120$ days.

Hemoglobin

An oxygen-carrying protein that gives RBCs their red color; it is composed of globin and heme.

Globin

The protein portion of hemoglobin made of four polypeptide chains, specifically $2$ alpha and $2$ beta chains.

Heme

A ringlike nonprotein pigment in hemoglobin that contains Iron ($Fe$) and can carry $4$ molecules of $O_2$.

Iron ($Fe$)

The element located in the center of the heme pigment responsible for carrying $99\%$ of oxygen.

Normal adult hemoglobin value

$12-18\,mg$ per deciliter.

Ferritin or transferrin

Molecules that transport Iron ($Fe$) back to the bone marrow when hemoglobin is recycled.

Biliverdin and bilirubin

The substances that the heme group is converted into during the recycling process.

RBC Concentration

There are approximately $5$ million RBC per $\mu l$ (microliter), making them the most numerous cell type.

CO2 Transport in RBC

$23\%$ of carbon dioxide is carried by amino acids within the cell.