Megakaryocyte

Megakaryocyte
Megakaryocyte
	Two megakaryocytes in bone marrow, marked with arrows.
Details
Location	Bone marrow
Function	Platelet production
Identifiers
Latin	megakaryocytus
MeSH	D008533
TH	H2.00.04.3.05003
FMA	83555
	Anatomical terms of microanatomy

A megakaryocyte (mega- + karyo- + -cyte, "large-nucleus cell") is a large bone marrow cell with a lobated nucleus that produces blood platelets (thrombocytes), which are necessary for normal clotting. In humans, megakaryocytes usually account for 1 out of 10,000 bone marrow cells, but can increase in number nearly 10-fold during the course of certain diseases.^[1] Owing to variations in combining forms and spelling, synonyms include megalokaryocyte and megacaryocyte.

^ Branehog I, Ridell B, Swolin B, Weinfeld A (1975). "Megakaryocyte quantifications in relation to thrombokinetics in primary thrombocythaemia and allied diseases". Scand. J. Haematol. 15 (5): 321–32. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0609.1975.tb01087.x. PMID 1060175.

[Branehog-1] Branehog I, Ridell B, Swolin B, Weinfeld A (1975). "Megakaryocyte quantifications in relation to thrombokinetics in primary thrombocythaemia and allied diseases". Scand. J. Haematol. 15 (5): 321–32. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0609.1975.tb01087.x. PMID 1060175.

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