Question

What is the difference between yellow marrow and red marrow? Where would you find this?

Answer 1

There are 2 types of bone marrow: yellow marrow and red marrow. The red marrow, called myeloid tissue, is enriched in hematopoietic stem cells that give rise to erythrocytes, platelets and most leukocytes. It is present in most flat bones such as those of the hip, skull, ribs, vertebrae, shoulder blades and sternum.

The yellow marrow is enriched in mesenchymal stem cells that give rise to stromal cells such as osteocytes, cartilage, adipocytes and myocytes. The yellow appearance is due to the high fat content. It is present in the hollow interior of long bones, such as the femur. Red marrow gets converted into yellow marrow with age.