Page 455 - Veterinary Immunology, 10th Edition

distributed chromatin. As a result, the nucleus may resemble a
VetBooks.ir clock face or cartwheel. Plasma cells have an extensive cytoplasm

that is rich in rough endoplasmic reticulum and stains strongly
with basic dyes and pyronin. They have a large, pale-staining Golgi

apparatus (Figs. 15.16 and 15.17). Plasma cells can secrete up to
10,000 molecules of immunoglobulin per second. The
immunoglobulin produced by a plasma cell is of identical
specificity to the BCRs on its parent B cell.

FIG. 15.15 The structure of a typical plasma cell. The possession
of an extensive rough endoplasmic reticulum is typical of a cell
dedicated to the rapid production of large amounts of
immunoglobulin.

FIG. 15.16 A transmission electron micrograph of a plasma cell
from a rabbit. Note how its cytoplasm is densly packed with rough

455