Medium-power magnification. Plasmacytoid monocytes are believed to be precursors of lymph node dendritic cells. They are seen as small clusters of medium-sized cells with round nuclei, small nucleoli, and somewhat eccentrically located faintly basophilic cytoplasm, in the paracortex of reactive lymph nodes. They express CD68, often CD4, CD45RO, and CD2, but lack CD3 and CD5 (T cell markers).