Left shift response of granulocytes

The left shift response of granulocytes describes the reaction of the bone marrow to a stimulus that is prompting leukocytosis. There is an increase in the proportion of immature leukocytes released from post-mitotic stores. Hence, on a graph of absolute number of leukocytes (y-axis) against number of lobes of nucleus in leukocytes (x-axis), there is a shift in the curve upwards and to the left with leukocytosis relative to normal.