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Red blood cells may be immune sentinels

As the roughly 30 trillion human red blood cells cruise the bloodstream and supply tissues with oxygen, they may also be doing something biologists did not expect: scanning for signs of infection and injury. According to new findings that would dramatically expand their roles, red blood cells snare suspect DNA from microbial invaders or damaged tissue and warn the immune system of danger.

As human red blood cells mature, they lose all of their DNA and organelles. The cells’ stripped-down structure inspired the traditional view that “they are blah, inert bags of hemoglobin,” able to do little beyond ferry oxygen, says pulmonary and critical care physician Nilam Mangalmurti of the University…

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  Scientists Discover Secret Behind Human Red Blood Cell's Amazing Flexibility

The human red blood cell membrane skeleton is a network of roughly 33,000 protein hexagons that looks like a microscopic geodesic dome.

Articles of Interest

The Human Red Blood Cell

Besides its great physiologic interest and importance, the red blood cell is remarkable because it was the first cell seen by the human eye. The first cells of any kind to be described and illustrated were those of the cork in Robert Hooke's famous "Micrographia" published in 1665. 1 Before this time, however, Swammerdam observed erythrocytes in the blood of the frog and the louse.

Astronauts are losing 3 million red blood cells every second in space

A new study suggests that astronauts may experience space anemia much longer than previously thought.

Can you manufacture blood cells?

Researchers may have found a way of making blood from human or mouse stem cells.

Circadian Clocks in Human Red Blood Cells

We have shown that human red blood cells display robust, temperature-entrainable and temperature-compensated circadian rhythms, consistent with the presence of a circadian clock within these cells.

First Red Blood Cells Made From Adult Cells Ready For Human Transfusions

In the future, man-made cells could supplement or even replace donated blood.

How our red blood cells keep evolving to fight malaria

Over thousands of years, randomly occurring differences in our genetic code that inadvertently reduced malarial risk and provided a survival advantage have been “selected” – meaning these genetic differences become more prominent in the population. Today, human populations in specific parts of the world carry heavy genetic marks from our ancient war with malaria. And it is the red blood cell (erythrocyte) that mostly bears the scars.

Human Normal Peripheral Blood Red Blood Cells (RBCs) / Mature Erythrocytes

Red blood cells (RBC), also called erythrocytes, are the most abundant cells in the blood. They are cells without a nucleus or mitochondria. The primary function of red blood cells is to transport oxygen (O2) and CO2 to and from various body tissues — via blood flow through the circulatory system. They are able to do this because they contain Hemoglobin.

Red Blood Cells: Chasing Interactions

Human red blood cells (RBC) are highly differentiated cells that have lost all organelles and most intracellular machineries during their maturation process. RBC are fundamental for the nearly all basic physiologic dynamics and they are key cells in the body’s respiratory system by being responsible for the oxygen transport to all cells and tissues, and delivery of carbon dioxide to the lungs. With their flexible structure RBC are capable to deform in order to travel through all blood vessels including very small capillaries. Throughout their in average 120 days lifespan, human RBC travel in the bloodstream and come in contact with a broad range of different cell types

Scientists Begin Trials for Transfusions of Lab-Grown Blood Cells

The ability to grow blood cells of any needed type in a lab could be a game-changer.

Scientists safely injected two patients with lab-grown blood

If successful, scientists could increase reserves of extremely rare blood types.

The Adventures of Reggie the Red Blood Cell

Reggie, our energetic red blood cell, is excited to invite you on his journey through the human body. Join him in exploring the connections between human organs, including the heart, kidneys and pancreas. Reggie discovers how easily things can go wrong in the body, and tries to understand the connections between the organs. Does he manage to succeed? Find out here…

‘Super-human’ red blood cells could revolutionise drug delivery

Modified ‘super-human’ red blood cells containing therapeutic compounds have been developed by researchers as a novel form of drug delivery.

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StatPearls

Erythrocytes, red blood cells (RBC), are the functional component of blood responsible for the transportation of gases and nutrients throughout the human body. Their unique shape and composition allow for these specialized cells to carry out their essential functions. The role of the erythrocyte is critical in investigating many disease processes in a variety of body systems.