Reticulocyte

'Reticulocyte' is the developmental stage of erythrocyte. It is a non-nuclear spherical cell that contains the remnants of some cellular organelles. The reticulocyte gradually changes its shape to biconcave, gets rid of cellular organelles and thus matures into an erythrocyte. Most reticulocytes are found in the red bone marrow, the peripheral blood of a healthy adult contains about 0.5-1.5% reticulocytes of the total number of erythrocytes. The increased number of reticulocytes in the peripheral blood is referred to as reticulocytosis, which usually occurs with increased erythropoiesis.