Neutrophils are reminiscent of the appearance of a policeman. They are plump, oval-shaped White Corpuscles that are completely white in color. Their uniforms have thick collars, belts, a golden star on torso and a cap with visible stripe. All Neutrophils are bald and are similar to Basophils.
Function[]
In the series, Neutrophils are always shown to stand in a designated area in bloodstream, body cavity etc, observing the blood flow, therefore always checking for intruders, commonly bacteria and viruses. When needed, they move in large armies, usually preparing for combat by practicing phagocytosis.
A Neutrophil performing phagocytosis.
When performing phagocytosis, a Neutrophil opens its mouth, which turns out to be quite larger than what it may seem in process. The mouth sucks the target more or less in a difficult way. It was shown on several instances that Neutrophils can suffer a huge exhaustion by doing this.
Lieutenant Jumbo[]
Leader of Neutrophil Granulocytes. He distinguishes from his fellow policemen by having human skin and curly ginger hair. He resembles the human Jumbo in the series. He wields a wrist communicator and is the closest Metro, Captain Peter and Lieutenant Claire's colleague. He also distinguishes from his fellow soldiers by the same golden star on his cap and golden shoulder pads.
Biology[]
A neutrophil, approximately 12 micrometers in diameter.
Also known as neutrocytes; the most common type of granulocytes and white blood cells (40% to 70%) in most mammals.
The name neutrophil derives from staining characteristics on hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) histological or cytological preparations.
Whereas basophilic white blood cells stain dark blue and eosinophilic white blood cells stain bright red, neutrophils stain a neutral pink.
During the beginning (acute) phase of inflammation, particularly as a result of bacterial infection, environmental exposure, and some cancers, neutrophils are one of the first-responders of inflammatory cells to migrate towards the site of inflammation (which can be seen by the large armies they march in the series).
While their lifespan is quite short (ranging from a few hours to a few days), neutrophils are much more numerous than the other longer-living white blood cells such as macrophages.
