Megaloblast
Encyclopedia
A megaloblast is an unusually large erythroblast that can be associated with pernicious anemia
Pernicious anemia
Pernicious anemia is one of many types of the larger family of megaloblastic anemias...

 (Vitamin B12 deficiency) and folic acid deficiency (collectively called megaloblastic anemia
Megaloblastic anemia
Megaloblastic anemia is an anemia that results from inhibition of DNA synthesis in red blood cell production. When DNA synthesis is impaired, the cell cycle cannot progress from the G2 growth stage to the mitosis stage...

). It is differentiated from a normoblast
Normoblast
An erythroblast is a type of red blood cell which still retains a cell nucleus. It is the immediate precursor of a normal erythrocyte.-Nomenclature:...

, which is a normally-sized erythroblast. This kind of anemia leads to macrocytes (abnormally large red cells). The cause of this cellular gigantism is an impairment in DNA synthesis which delays nuclear maturation and cell division. Because RNA and cytoplasmic elements are synthesized at a constant rate despite the cells' impaired DNA synthesis, the cells show nuclear-cytoplasmic asynchrony.

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