Through the Microscope: Blood Cells - Life's Blood

Lymphocyte

Lymphocytes in the peripheral blood have been described on the basis of size and cytoplasmic granularity. Small lymphocytes are the most common, ranging in size from 6 to 10 µm. The nucleus is usually round or slightly oval, occasionally showing a small indentation due to the adjacent centrosome. Except in the smallest cells, the nucleus is about 7 µm in diameter, a size that has been convenient for estimating the size of the surrounding erythrocytes. Nuclear chromatin stains a dark reddish-purple to blue with large dark patches of condensed chromatin. The nuclear cytoplasm ratio is 5:1 to 3:1, and the cytoplasm is often seen only as a peripheral ring around part of the nucleus.