Leukopoiesis

Formation of white blood cells

Leukopoiesis is a form of hematopoiesis in which white blood cells (WBC, or leukocytes) are formed in bone marrow located in bones in adults and hematopoietic organs in the fetus. White blood cells, indeed all blood cells, are formed from the differentiation of pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells which give rise to several cell lines with unlimited differentiation potential. These immediate cell lines, or colonies, are progenitors of red blood cells (erythrocytes), platelets (megakaryocytes), and the two main groups of WBCs, myelocytes and lymphocytes.

References

Leukopoiesis at the U.S. National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Myeloid blood cells and plasma

Hematopoiesis

Myelopoiesis
(CFU-GEMM)

CFU-GM

Granulopoiesis Myeloblast Promyelocyte Myelocyte Metamyelocyte Band cell
Monocytopoiesis Monoblast Promonocyte

MEP

Thrombopoiesis Megakaryoblast Promegakaryocyte
Erythropoiesis Proerythroblast Normoblast Reticulocyte

General

Extramedullary hematopoiesis

Myeloid tissue

Granulocytes

Monocytes

Macrophages	Histiocytes Kupffer cells Alveolar macrophage Microglia Osteoclasts Epithelioid cells giant cells Langhans giant cells Foreign-body giant cell Touton giant cells
Other	Antigen-presenting cells Dendritic cells Langerhans cell CFU-DL Monoblast MPS