Prolymphocyte

Prolymphocyte, schematic image
Prolymphocyte, micrograph in a peripheral blood smear. They are medium-sized lymphocytes with prominent nucleoli.[1]

A prolymphocyte is a white blood cell with a certain state of cellular differentiation in lymphocytopoiesis. In the 20th century it was believed that a sequence of general maturation changed cells from lymphoblasts to prolymphocytes and then to lymphocytes (the lymphocytic series),[2] with each being a precursor of the last. Today it is believed that the differentiation of cells in the lymphocyte line is not always simply chronologic but rather depends on antigen exposure, such that, for example, lymphocytes can become lymphoblasts.[2]

The size is between 10 and 18 μm.[3]

  1. ^ "prolymphocytes in PLL". American Society of Hematology. 2013-07-16.
  2. ^ a b Elsevier, Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, Elsevier.
  3. ^ Gillian Rozenberg (23 March 2011). Microscopic Haematology: A Practical Guide for the Laboratory. Elsevier Australia. pp. 106–. ISBN 978-0-7295-4072-8. Retrieved 29 May 2011.