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Gastric chief cell

Gastric chief cell

H&E stain of fundic gland polyp showing shortening of the gastric pits with cystic dilatation

A fundus gland. A. Transverse section of gland.
Dorlands/Elsevier	c_18/12222877

A gastric chief cell (or peptic cell, or gastric zymogenic cell) is a cell in the stomach that releases pepsinogen, gastric lipase and rennin. The cell stains basophilic upon H&E prep due to the large proportion of rough endoplasmic reticulum in it's cytoplasm.

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It works in conjunction with the parietal cell which releases gastric acid, converting the pepsinogen into pepsin.

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 cells.)

v • d • e Digestive system, physiology: gastrointestinal physiology
Enteric nervous system	Meissner's plexus - Auerbach's plexus
Exocrine	Chief cells (Pepsinogen) - Parietal cells (Gastric acid, Intrinsic factor) - Goblet cells (Mucus)
Endocrine/paracrine	G cells (gastrin), D cells (somatostatin) - ECL cells (Histamine) - enterogastrone: I cells (CCK), K cells (GIP), S cells (secretin)
Border	Brunner's glands - Paneth cells - Enterocytes
Fluids	Saliva - Bile - Intestinal juice - Gastric juice - Pancreatic juice
Processes	Swallowing - Vomiting - Peristalsis (Interstitial cell of Cajal) - Migrating motor complex - Borborygmus - Gastrocolic reflex - Segmentation contractions - Defecation