Ultrastructure of developing and mature caprine leukocytes

Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that, based on the structural uniqueness of the granules, caprine granulocytes are easily distinguishable from each other from the promyelocyte stage onwards. The neutrophils had the smallest granules which varied in size and were, in mature cells, either spherical to dumb-bell in shape; in mature cells the granule contents were compact and finely granular. The primary granules were smaller than the secondary granules. The eosinophil granules were large and typically had internal crystalloid structures; a second group of spherical granules with moderately coarse non-crystalloid sub-structure was present in smaller numbers in promyelocytes and myelocytes only. The basophil granules were also large, lacks crystalloids but showed variation in coarseness of granule substance, ranging from finely granular to markedly coarse. Mature granulocytes lacks Golgi apparatus and rough endoplasmic reticulum and ribosomes which were present in promyelocytes, myelocytes, metamyelocytes and bands. The monocytes had moderate numbers of spherical granules, rough endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria and ribosomes, as well as prominent Golgi apparatus, and the cytoplasm had many small vacuoles.