All of the following are correct about human red blood cells...

All of the following are correct about human red blood cells EXCEPT
(A) they live 120 days
(B) they are called leukocytes
(D) they do not have a nucleus
(D) they are formed in the bone marrow
(E) they carry oxyhemoglobin

Key Concepts

Erythrocytes (Red Blood Cells)

These are specialized cells in the blood responsible for oxygen transport. They are characterized by the presence of oxyhemoglobin, a lack of a nucleus in their mature form, production in the bone marrow, and a typical lifespan of about 120 days.

Leukocytes (White Blood Cells)

Leukocytes are a distinct category of blood cells dedicated to the immune response. Unlike erythrocytes, they contain a nucleus, are involved in protecting the body from infections, and serve entirely different functions.

Bone Marrow

Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside bones where hematopoiesis occurs, which is the process responsible for the formation of various blood cells, including both red and white blood cells.

Oxyhemoglobin

Oxyhemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying form of hemoglobin within red blood cells. This molecule binds oxygen in the lungs and releases it in body tissues, facilitating cellular respiration.

Cellular Nucleus

In the context of human red blood cells, mature erythrocytes lack a nucleus. This adaptation increases space within the cell to store more hemoglobin, thereby enhancing their oxygen-carrying capacity.

Transcript

00:01 This question asks us about the life and times of red blood cells.

00:07 These are some of the most recognizable cells in the body.

00:09 They're sort of little biconcaved disks.

00:12 They have a little divot in them.

00:14 So let's talk about the life cycle of these cells and figure out which of these statements is false.

00:21 So the first question for a life cycle is where do these things come from? and the question is answered by bone.

00:30 You can find all of the cells of your blood are born in the bone marrow.

00:36 So we start in the bone marrow.

00:38 Here i'm drawing the bone marrow of a long bone like the femur, but it could also be a flat bone like your sternum or other bones like your hips.

00:46 So we are born in the bone marrow.

00:50 Because they are born in the bone marrow, we know that answer d is correct.

00:54 So it's not going to be our answer because we're looking for the one wrong answer.

00:57 So we can rule out d.

00:59 After they are born, they go through a development process, and that development process involves losing their nucleus.

01:08 They become a inucleate or a nucleus.

01:11 Most cells of our body have a nucleus that contains dna early in their development.

01:17 Red blood cells have a nucleus that contains dna, but they lose it as they become fully mature.

01:23 So in the life cycle here, we are going to lose our nucleus.

01:29 And by the way, that means we can eliminate answer c, which says they do not have a nucleus.

01:36 We know that c is correct because they lose their nucleus to become fully mature.

01:40 So c is out.

01:43 Then the red blood cells circulate in our blood.

01:46 They're what makes our blood red.

01:48 Why is our blood red? our blood is red because of a protein called hemoglobin that helps to carry oxygen.

01:56 And it also uses iron to do so.

01:58 Iron, when it binds to oxygen, has this reddish color, which gives blood its red color...

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