What is the term for a mature blood platelet?

What is the term for a mature blood platelet?

• A. Megakaryoblast
• B. Promegakaryocyte
• C. Thrombocyte
• D. Megakaryocyte

Answer: (C)

Think of platelets as tiny, anucleate fragments that come from a large bone marrow cell called a megakaryocyte. As development progresses, these cytoplasmic pieces are shed into the bloodstream and become the mature circulating cells we call thrombocytes, or simply platelets. So the term for a mature blood platelet is thrombocyte. The other names represent earlier stages in platelet formation: a megakaryoblast is an early progenitor, a promegakaryocyte is an intermediate stage, and a megakaryocyte is the large marrow cell that ultimately gives rise to platelets.

Think of platelets as tiny, anucleate fragments that come from a large bone marrow cell called a megakaryocyte. As development progresses, these cytoplasmic pieces are shed into the bloodstream and become the mature circulating cells we call thrombocytes, or simply platelets. So the term for a mature blood platelet is thrombocyte. The other names represent earlier stages in platelet formation: a megakaryoblast is an early progenitor, a promegakaryocyte is an intermediate stage, and a megakaryocyte is the large marrow cell that ultimately gives rise to platelets.