plasma cell
1
4.2
- noun
- /ˈplæzmə sɛl/
- Specialized
:
célula plasmática
- Memory B cells turn into plasma cells, which produce wave after wave of the specific antibodies that latch on to HIV to prevent it from infecting cells.
- plasma cells and lymphocytes
- plasma cells and eosinophils
- plasma cells and histiocytes
Examples
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Eosinophils were numerous in the background, together with dispersed plasma cells and lymphocytes, many of which formed clusters.
Academic text (2002) -
And these plasma cells are constantly secreting antibody molecules into the serum around them, into the plasma around them.
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A: Photomicrograph shows the sheets of plasma cells (H & E; original magnification x 10).
Academic text (2006) -
Bone marrow plasma cell infiltration should not exceed 5% of all nucleated cells.
Academic text (2006) -
Biopsy of the tissue must reveal monoclonal plasma cell histology.
Academic text (2006) -
Histopathologic examination of a biopsy specimen revealed that the neoplasm exhibited a uniform population of plasma cells.
Academic text (2005) -
Soft-tissue plasmacytomas arise from plasma cells located on the mucosal surfaces. They account for 3% of all plasma cell neoplasms.
Academic text (2006) -
Histology will reveal the presence of histiocytes, eosinophils, plasma cells, lymphocytes, and neutrophils.
Academic text (2002) -
The plasma cell dyscrasias are characterized by the clonal proliferation of plasma cells that produce a homogeneous immunoglobulin protein.
Academic text (2005) -
The doctor explained that plasma cells are crucial for producing antibodies to fight infection.
Synonyms
A white blood cell that makes antibodies to fight germs and lives in bone marrow
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound 'plasma cell' transparently signals a type of cell associated with plasma (blood), so a B1 learner who knows 'plasma' and 'cell' would likely infer it is a blood-related cell. However, the specific immunological role (a differentiated B lymphocyte that produces antibodies) is specialized and not predictable from the constituents alone, so the expression is only partly compositional.
Etymology
Plasma cell gets its name from the idea that this cell makes and releases antibodies into the blood's plasma, the liquid part of the blood. So the name highlights its job: a cell that makes antibodies 'to fight infection'.