Sickle cell

sickle cell n. An abnormal, crescent-shaped red blood cell that results from a single change in the amino acid sequence of the cell's hemoglobin, which causes the cell to contort, especially under low-oxygen conditions. Also called drepanocyte, meniscocyte.

sickle cell Top: normal red blood cells Bottom: sickle-shaped red blood cells

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Sickle cell

A red blood cell that has assumed an elongated shape due to the presence of hemoglobin S.

Mentioned in: Hemoglobinopathies, Sickle Cell Disease

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sickle cell

a crescentic or sickle-shaped erythrocyte. In humans, the abnormal shape is caused by a structural hemoglobinopathy. Sickle cells are found in normal members of the family Cervidae (deer).