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 (from mega- 'large' karyo- 'cell nucleus' and -cyte '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. Owing to variations in combining forms and spelling, synonyms include megalokaryocyte and megacaryocyte.