Granulocyte

Granulocyte
Granulocyte
	Types of granulocytes
Details
System	Immune system
Identifiers
MeSH	D006098
FMA	62854
	Anatomical terms of microanatomy

Granulocytes are cells in the innate immune system characterized by the presence of specific granules in their cytoplasm.^[1] Such granules distinguish them from the various agranulocytes. All myeloblastic granulocytes are polymorphonuclear, that is, they have varying shapes (morphology) of the nucleus (segmented, irregular; often lobed into three segments); and are referred to as polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN, PML, or PMNL). In common terms, polymorphonuclear granulocyte refers specifically to "neutrophil granulocytes",^[2] the most abundant of the granulocytes; the other types (eosinophils, basophils, and mast cells) have varying morphology. Granulocytes are produced via granulopoiesis in the bone marrow.

^ WebMD (2009). "granulocyte". Webster's New World Medical Dictionary (3rd ed.). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 181. ISBN 978-0-544-18897-6.
^ WebMD (2009). "leukocyte, polymorphonuclear". Webster's New World Medical Dictionary (3rd ed.). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 244. ISBN 978-0-544-18897-6.

[1] WebMD (2009). "granulocyte". Webster's New World Medical Dictionary (3rd ed.). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 181. ISBN 978-0-544-18897-6.

[2] WebMD (2009). "leukocyte, polymorphonuclear". Webster's New World Medical Dictionary (3rd ed.). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 244. ISBN 978-0-544-18897-6.

[1]

[2]