Leukopoiesis
Leukopoiesis is a form of hematopoiesis in which white blood cells (WBC, or leukocytes) are formed in bone marrow located in bones in adults and hematopoietic organs in the fetus. White blood cells, indeed all blood cells, are formed from the differentiation of pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells which give rise to several cell lines with unlimited differentiation potential. These immediate cell lines, or colonies, are progenitors of red blood cells (erythrocytes), platelets (megakaryocytes), and the two main groups of WBCs, myelocytes and lymphocytes. On the basis of the history of associated leukemic diseases, it's divided into two main groups: acute and chronic. The incidence of both chronic and acute leukaemias is higher in males than in females.
See also
References
- Leukopoiesis at the US National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)