A gastric chief cell (or peptic cell, or gastric zymogenic cell) is a type of

gastric gland The gastric glands are glands in the lining of the stomach that play an essential role in the process of digestion. All of the glands have mucus-secreting foveolar cells. Mucus lines the entire stomach, and protects the stomach lining from the ef ...

cell that releases

pepsinogen Pepsin is an endopeptidase that breaks down proteins into smaller peptides. It is produced in the gastric chief cells of the stomach lining and is one of the main digestive enzymes in the digestive systems of humans and many other animals, whe ...

and

gastric lipase The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital organ in the digestive system. The stomach ...

. It is the cell responsible for secretion of

chymosin Chymosin or rennin is a protease found in rennet. It is an aspartic endopeptidase belonging to MEROPS A1 family. It is produced by newborn ruminant animals in the lining of the abomasum to curdle the milk they ingest, allowing a longer residen ...

in ruminant animals. The cell stains

basophilic Basophilic is a technical term used by pathologists. It describes the appearance of cells, tissues and cellular structures as seen through the microscope after a histological section has been stained with a basic dye. The most common such dye is ...

upon

H&E stain Hematoxylin and eosin stain ( or haematoxylin and eosin stain or hematoxylin-eosin stain; often abbreviated as H&E stain or HE stain) is one of the principal tissue stains used in histology. It is the most widely used stain in medical diagnos ...

ing due to the large proportion of rough

endoplasmic reticulum The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is, in essence, the transportation system of the eukaryotic cell, and has many other important functions such as protein folding. It is a type of organelle made up of two subunits – rough endoplasmic reticulum ( ...

in its

cytoplasm In cell biology, the cytoplasm is all of the material within a eukaryotic cell, enclosed by the cell membrane, except for the cell nucleus. The material inside the nucleus and contained within the nuclear membrane is termed the nucleoplasm. The ...

. Gastric chief cells are generally located deep in the mucosal layer of the stomach lining, in the fundus and body of the stomach.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/stomachnormalhistology.html Chief cells release the

zymogen In biochemistry, a zymogen (), also called a proenzyme (), is an inactive precursor of an enzyme. A zymogen requires a biochemical change (such as a hydrolysis reaction revealing the active site, or changing the configuration to reveal the active ...

(enzyme precursor) pepsinogen when stimulated by a variety of factors including

cholinergic Cholinergic agents are compounds which mimic the action of acetylcholine and/or butyrylcholine. In general, the word "choline" describes the various quaternary ammonium salts containing the ''N'',''N'',''N''-trimethylethanolammonium cation. F ...

activity from the

vagus nerve The vagus nerve, also known as the tenth cranial nerve, cranial nerve X, or simply CN X, is a cranial nerve that interfaces with the parasympathetic control of the heart, lungs, and digestive tract. It comprises two nerves—the left and right ...

and acidic condition in the stomach.

Gastrin Gastrin is a peptide hormone that stimulates secretion of gastric acid (HCl) by the parietal cells of the stomach and aids in gastric motility. It is released by G cells in the pyloric antrum of the stomach, duodenum, and the pancreas. Gastrin ...

and

secretin Secretin is a hormone that regulates water homeostasis throughout the body and influences the environment of the duodenum by regulating secretions in the stomach, pancreas, and liver. It is a peptide hormone produced in the S cells of the duode ...

may also act as

secretagogue A secretagogue is a substance that causes another substance to be secreted. The word comes from Greek ''agōgos'', meaning "a leader" or "bringer"; thus "something that brings secretions". The same root is seen in completely unrelated words such as ...

s. It works in conjunction with the

parietal cell Parietal cells (also known as oxyntic cells) are epithelial cells in the stomach that secrete hydrochloric acid (HCl) and intrinsic factor. These cells are located in the gastric glands found in the lining of the fundus and body regions of the ...

, which releases

gastric acid Gastric acid, gastric juice, or stomach acid is a digestive fluid formed within the stomach lining. With a pH between 1 and 3, gastric acid plays a key role in digestion of proteins by activating digestive enzymes, which together break down the ...

, converting the pepsinogen into

pepsin Pepsin is an endopeptidase that breaks down proteins into smaller peptides. It is produced in the gastric chief cells of the stomach lining and is one of the main digestive enzymes in the digestive systems of humans and many other animals, w ...

Nomenclature

The terms ''chief cell'' and ''

zymogenic In biochemistry, a zymogen (), also called a proenzyme (), is an inactive precursor of an enzyme. A zymogen requires a biochemical change (such as a hydrolysis reaction revealing the active site, or changing the configuration to reveal the active ...

cell'' are often used without the word "gastric" to name this type of cell. However, those terms can also be used to describe other cell types (for example,

parathyroid chief cell Parathyroid chief cells (also called parathyroid principal cells or simply parathyroid cells, C-cells, or parafollicular cells) are one of the two cell types of the parathyroid glands, along with oxyphil cells. The chief cells are much more preva ...

s). Chief cells are also known as peptic cells.

References

External links

* * - "Ultrastructure of the Cell: chief cells and enteroendocrine cell" * - "Digestive System: Alimentary Canal: fundic stomach, gastric glands, base" * * {{Authority control Peptide hormone secreting cells Human cells

Chief cell In human anatomy, there are three types of chief cells, the gastric chief cell, the parathyroid chief cell, and the type 1 chief cells found in the carotid body. Cell types The gastric chief cell (also known as a zymogenic cell or peptic cell) is a ...

Nomenclature

See also

References

External links