Plasmablast (Noun)
Meaning
The precursor of a plasma cell.
Classification
Nouns denoting body parts.
Examples
- The activated B cell undergoes rapid proliferation and differentiation into a plasmablast before eventually maturing into a plasma cell.
- Plasmablasts are large, rapidly dividing cells that are intermediate in development between activated B cells and mature plasma cells.
- In the germinal center, the plasmablast is the transitional stage between the centroblast and the mature plasma cell.
- The plasmablast stage is characterized by the initiation of immunoglobulin secretion and the loss of surface immunoglobulin expression.
- Plasmablasts can be identified by their large size, high proliferation rate, and expression of specific transcription factors that drive plasma cell differentiation.