monocyte

American  

[mon-uh-sahyt] / ˈmɒn əˌsaɪt /

noun

Cell Biology.

1. a large, circulating white blood cell, formed in bone marrow and in the spleen, that ingests large foreign particles and cell debris.

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monocyte British  

/ ˌmɒnəˈsɪtɪk, ˈmɒnəʊˌsaɪt /

noun

1. a large phagocytic leucocyte with a spherical nucleus and clear cytoplasm

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monocyte Scientific  

/ mŏn′ə-sīt′ /

1. Any of various large white blood cells that are formed in the bone marrow, circulate in the blood, and destroy pathogenic bacteria by phagocytosis. Monocytes develop into macrophages in various body tissues.

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Other Word Forms

• monocytic adjective
• monocytoid adjective

Etymology

Origin of monocyte

First recorded in 1910–15; mono- + -cyte

Example Sentences

Their findings showed that fructose intake, unlike glucose, led to higher concentrations of Toll-like receptor 2 in monocytes.

From Science Daily

Another type of innate immune cell, called a monocyte, acts as a sort of cellular bouncer, getting rid of any infected cells it finds and signaling the adaptive immune response to shift into gear.

From Scientific American

The French researchers analyzed RNA in samples containing mixtures of immune cells, whereas the South Korean team sequenced RNA in individual cells and observed interferon differences in monocytes.

From Scientific American

Consistent with previous studies4,5, the authors found that two types of myeloid cell — monocytes and neutrophils — accumulated in the lung before metastases were detectable there.

From Nature

This movement is aided by endothelial cells, which demarcate the border between blood and tissue, and which produce a panoply of monocyte-attracting chemical messengers, enabling monocyte surveillance of and migration across the blood-vessel wall.

From Nature