Medusa cells are a type of eosinophil. Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell. Medusa cells are characterized by having one or more pseudopod-like processes of varying lengths. These cells are observed in various bodily fluids and tissues after fixation and staining for histochemical study, including bone marrow, peripheral blood, sputum, and nasal smears. They are named for their distinctive shape resembling the serpentine hair of the mythological Medusa.
The term "Medusa cells" also appears in other contexts, but these are distinct uses of the term unrelated to the cytological description above. These other uses include:
- Gene-edited heart cells: In the context of cardiac research, "MEDUSA cells" refer to human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs) that have been genetically modified to address issues such as arrhythmias after transplantation. One specific gene edited out, SLC8A1, can impact the ability of heart cells to contract.
- Cellular Deconvolution Method: MeDuSA is a cellular deconvolution method used in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to estimate the abundance of different cell states within a complex sample. It uses scRNA-seq data as a reference.
- Cnidarian Biology: In the context of cnidarian biology, "medusa" refers to the free-swimming, bell-shaped stage in the life cycle of jellyfish. This is entirely unrelated to the cell type described initially.
The multiple uses of "Medusa cells" highlight the importance of considering the context when encountering this term. The primary meaning, and the one most directly supported by the provided literature, refers to a specific morphology of eosinophils.
