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Glite Dictionary
plasmablast

plasmablast

1 9.4
A young cell in the body that makes proteins to fight germs after infection or vaccination
  • noun
  • /ˈplæzməˌblæst/
  • Specialized
: plasmablasto
  • A plasmablast is essential for antibody production.

Examples

  • Researchers observed a significant increase in plasmablasts following vaccination.

  • The differentiation of a plasmablast into a plasma cell is a crucial immune process.

  • Flow cytometry is commonly used to identify plasmablast populations in blood samples.

  • These plasmablasts play a crucial role in the immune response.

  • The body's immune response triggered many plasmablasts that started producing antibodies.

  • In response to the infection, several plasmablasts were activated to help fight the germs.

  • The research showed that plasmablasts play a crucial role in generating a quick antibody response during illness.

Surface Forms

plasmablast singular
plasmablasts plural

Morphology

plasmablast = plasma + blast (semi-transparent) = plasma + blast

Formally composed of 'plasma' + 'blast', but the sense 'immature antibody-secreting cell' relies on specialized biomedical meanings (especially '-blast'), so it is not fully guessable by an average learner.

Etymology

Plasmablast combines plasma and blast. Here plasma points to the 'plasma cell' that makes antibodies, and blast comes from an old word meaning 'sprout' or 'young', so a plasmablast is an early, sprouting cell that begins to make antibodies.