A
gastric chief cellA gastric chief cell is a cell in the stomach that releases pepsinogen, gastric lipase and rennin...
(or
peptic cell, or
gastric zymogenic cell) is a cell in the
stomachIn most mammals, the stomach is a hollow, muscular organ of the gastrointestinal tract , between the esophagus and the small intestine. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication . The word stomach is derived from the Latin stomachus, which derives from the Greek word...
that releases pepsinogen,
gastric lipaseGastric lipase, also known as LIPF, is an enzymatic protein that, in humans, is encode by the LIPF gene.-Function:Gastric lipase is an acidic lipase secreted by the gastric chief cells in the fundic mucosa in the stomach. It has a pH optimum of 3-6. Gastric lipase, together with lingual lipase,...
and rennin. The cell stains basophilic upon
H&E prepH&E stain, HE stain or hematoxylin and eosin stain, is a popular staining method in histology. It is the most widely used stain in medical diagnosis; for example when a pathologist looks at a biopsy of a suspected cancer, the histological section is likely to be stained with H&E and termed H&E...
due to the large proportion of rough
endoplasmic reticulumThe endoplasmic reticulum is an eukaryotic organelle that forms an interconnected network of tubules, vesicles, and cisternae within cells. The lacey membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum were first seen by Keith R. Porter, Albert Claude, and Ernest F...
in its
cytoplasmThe cytoplasm is the part of a cell that is enclosed within the cell membrane. In eukaryotic cells, the cytoplasm contains organelles, such as mitochondria, which are filled with liquid that is kept separate from the rest of the cytoplasm by biological membranes. The contents of the cell nucleus...
.
Chief cells release the
zymogenA zymogen is an inactive enzyme precursor. A zymogen requires a biochemical change for it to become an active enzyme. The biochemical change usually occurs in a lysosome where a specific part of the precursor enzyme is cleaved in order to activate it...
pepsinogen when stimulated by a variety of factors including
cholinergicA receptor is cholinergic if it uses acetylcholine as its neurotransmitter.Cholinergic means related to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and is typically used in a neurological perspective. The parasympathetic nervous system is entirely cholinergic...
activity from the
vagus nerveThe vagus nerve , also called pneumogastric nerve or cranial nerve X, is the tenth of twelve paired cranial nerves, and is the only nerve that starts in the brainstem...
and acidic condition in the stomach.
GastrinIn humans, gastrin is a hormone that stimulates secretion of gastric acid by the parietal cells of the stomach and aids in gastric motility. It is released by G cells in the stomach, duodenum, and the pancreas. Its release is stimulated by gastric luminal peptides...
and
secretinSecretin is a hormone that controls the secretions into the duodenum, and also separately, water homeostasis throughout the body.Acting as an anti-Müllerian hormone it is produced in the S cells of the duodenum in the crypts of Lieberkühn. Its effect is to regulate the pH of the duodenal contents...
may also act as secretagogues.
A
gastric chief cellA gastric chief cell is a cell in the stomach that releases pepsinogen, gastric lipase and rennin...
(or
peptic cell, or
gastric zymogenic cell) is a cell in the
stomachIn most mammals, the stomach is a hollow, muscular organ of the gastrointestinal tract , between the esophagus and the small intestine. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication . The word stomach is derived from the Latin stomachus, which derives from the Greek word...
that releases pepsinogen,
gastric lipaseGastric lipase, also known as LIPF, is an enzymatic protein that, in humans, is encode by the LIPF gene.-Function:Gastric lipase is an acidic lipase secreted by the gastric chief cells in the fundic mucosa in the stomach. It has a pH optimum of 3-6. Gastric lipase, together with lingual lipase,...
and rennin. The cell stains basophilic upon
H&E prepH&E stain, HE stain or hematoxylin and eosin stain, is a popular staining method in histology. It is the most widely used stain in medical diagnosis; for example when a pathologist looks at a biopsy of a suspected cancer, the histological section is likely to be stained with H&E and termed H&E...
due to the large proportion of rough
endoplasmic reticulumThe endoplasmic reticulum is an eukaryotic organelle that forms an interconnected network of tubules, vesicles, and cisternae within cells. The lacey membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum were first seen by Keith R. Porter, Albert Claude, and Ernest F...
in its
cytoplasmThe cytoplasm is the part of a cell that is enclosed within the cell membrane. In eukaryotic cells, the cytoplasm contains organelles, such as mitochondria, which are filled with liquid that is kept separate from the rest of the cytoplasm by biological membranes. The contents of the cell nucleus...
.
Chief cells release the
zymogenA zymogen is an inactive enzyme precursor. A zymogen requires a biochemical change for it to become an active enzyme. The biochemical change usually occurs in a lysosome where a specific part of the precursor enzyme is cleaved in order to activate it...
pepsinogen when stimulated by a variety of factors including
cholinergicA receptor is cholinergic if it uses acetylcholine as its neurotransmitter.Cholinergic means related to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and is typically used in a neurological perspective. The parasympathetic nervous system is entirely cholinergic...
activity from the
vagus nerveThe vagus nerve , also called pneumogastric nerve or cranial nerve X, is the tenth of twelve paired cranial nerves, and is the only nerve that starts in the brainstem...
and acidic condition in the stomach.
GastrinIn humans, gastrin is a hormone that stimulates secretion of gastric acid by the parietal cells of the stomach and aids in gastric motility. It is released by G cells in the stomach, duodenum, and the pancreas. Its release is stimulated by gastric luminal peptides...
and
secretinSecretin is a hormone that controls the secretions into the duodenum, and also separately, water homeostasis throughout the body.Acting as an anti-Müllerian hormone it is produced in the S cells of the duodenum in the crypts of Lieberkühn. Its effect is to regulate the pH of the duodenal contents...
may also act as secretagogues.
It works in conjunction with the
parietal cellParietal cells, or oxyntic cells, are the stomach epithelium cells that secrete gastric acid and intrinsic factor.- Acid production :...
, which releases
gastric acidGastric acid is a secretion produced in the stomach. It is one of the main ditotonic solutions secreted, together with several enzymes and intrinsic factors...
, converting the pepsinogen into
pepsinPepsin is an enzyme that is released by the chief cells in the stomach and that degrades food proteins into peptides. Pepsin was discovered in 1836 by Theodor Schwann who also coined this enzyme's name from the Greek word pepsis, meaning digestion...
.
Nomenclature
The terms "chief cell" and "zymogenic 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 cellParathyroid chief cells are cells in the parathyroid glands which produce parathyroid hormone....
s.) Chief cells are also known as peptic cells.
External links
- "Ultrastructure of the Cell: chief cells and enteroendocrine cell" - "Digestive System: Alimentary Canal: fundic stomach, gastric glands, base"