List of abbreviations

Vocabulary of micros- copic anatomy specialist terms explained in English + German

Every attempt was made to provide correct information and labelling, however any liability for eventual errors or incompleteness is rejected!

dieser Seite Editor: Dr. med. H. Jastrow

Conditions of use

human segmented neutrophil granulocyte	detail 1: centarl cytoplasm	detail 2: cytoplasm with vesicles	detail 3: different vesicles	detail 4: other vesicles	detail 5: some more vesicles	Detail 6: nuclear pore + specific vesicle

human segmented neutrophil granulocyte 2	detail 1: cytoplasm	detail 2: Golgi apparatus	detail 3:  different vesicles	detail 4: specific and non- specific vesicles	detail 5: further vesicles

detail 6: pore of the nuclear membrane	human segmented neutrophil granulocyte 3	detail 1: cytoplasm + organells	detail 2: cytoplasm, vesicles, multivesicular body	neutrophil in connective tissue human umbilical cord	detail: cytoplasm with organelle

2 human neutrophils in blood	detail 1: segmented neutrophil granulocyte	detail 2: staff cell (band form of nucleus in neutrophil granulocyte)	detail 3: staff cell cytoplasm	neutrophil at phagocytosis human placenta	detail: cytoplasm

human segmented neutrophil granulocyte 4	detail: cytolasm + organelles	segmented neutrophil 5 (human)	human segmented neutrophil 6	human segmented neutrophilic granulocyte 7	human segmented neutrophil 8 (formalin fixation)	human segmented neutrophil granulocyte 9

segmented neutrophil granulocyte (monkey)	segmented neutrophil, plas- ma cell, lymphocyte (monkey)	segmented neutrophil granulocyte (monkey)	neutrophil close to a venole (monkey)	segmented neutrophil vagina (pig)

Neutrophilic granulocytes (neutrophils, segmented neutrophilic granulocytes; Terminologia histologica: Granulocyti neutrophili, Neutrophili, Granulocyti neutrophili segmentonucleares) belong to the white blood cells (leucocytes; Terminologia histologica: Leucocyti) of which they comprise the majority, i.e. 50 to 75 % in differential blood count. Neutrophils are microphages and thus are capable to incorporate foreign materials via phagocytosis.
Morphology:
Neutrophils are about spherical when circulating in blood, in the connective tissue, however, they appear somewhat longer and ovoid. When cut at maximal diameter they have a width of 9 to 12 maximal 15 µm. Under stimulation plenty of elongated pseudopods form from the cell membrane extending some hundred nanometres. The nuclei of neutrophils are rich in heterochromatin resulting in an intense basophily making it hard to distinguish nucleoli in light microscopy. Due to the considerable variations of nuclear morphology the term polymorph nucleus has been established for neutrophils. Like the other blood cells neutrophils derive from stem cells and progenitor cells of the bone marrow from where they migrate into the blood. After this release the still young neutrophils show bend rod-like nuclei thus the juvenile neutrophils  (neutrophilic metamyelocytes; Terminologia histologica: Metamyelocyti neutrophili, Granulocyti neutrophili juveniles) are also called
staff cells, Schilling's band cells or band form granulocytes (Pappenheim stained histological image). They usually comprise about 5 to 10% of all neutrophils. After some hours the nuclei begin segmentation, i.e. show larger and smaller lumpy parts interconnected by very thin bridges. Thus the cells are mature transform into
segmented neutrophilic granulocytes (Pappenheim stained histological image). This mature form of granulocytes constitutes about 45-74% of all leucocytes in differential blood count of adult humans. In case of purulent infections this value increases to often above 80% of all leucocytes. If the relation of staff cells to segmented neutrophilic granulocytes changes this is called leftward shift in case of  >10% staff cells (typical for acute infections). In case of < 5% of staff cells we talk about a rightward shift (typical for e.g., vitamin B12 deficiency anaemia).
segmented neutrophilic granulocytes are cells of diameters of 10 - 15 µm with 3 - 4 nuclear segments interconnected via ~100 nm thin nuclear bridges. In case of too low blood serum levels of vitamin B12 of folic acid a so called hypersegmentation of the nuclei gets evident, i.e. nuclei show 5 or more segments.
Neutrophils may also be used for sex determination: If over 6 of 500 neutrophils (>3%) show a sex chromatin (Terminologia histologica: Chromatinum sexuale) it is sure that a female was the blood donor. This appendage of the nucleus, commonly called drumstick, has a diameter of about 1 - 1,5 µm and comprises an inactivated X-Chromosome corresponding to Barr's body of other cells. In the electron microscope the drumstick reveals as a segmented very electron-dense part of the heterochromatin.
Besides many other proteins, the cell membrane of neutrophils expresses the cell surface proteins CD32 (40 KD; an Fc receptor of low affinity for aggregated immunoglobulins) and CD 68 (110 KD; a mucin-like protein also known as macrosialin).

An English page with much more detailed information and images is only available in the professional version of this atlas

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