List of distinct cell types in the adult human body
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Cell type | % cell count |
Erythrocytes (red blood cells) | 84.0 | |
Platelets | 4.9 | |
Bone marrow cells | 2.5 | |
Vascular endothelial cells | 2.1 | |
Lymphocytes | 1.5 | |
Hepatocytes | 0.8 | |
Neurons and glia | 0.6 | |
Bronchial endothelial cells | 0.5 | |
Epidermal cells | 0.5 | |
Respiratory interstitial cells | 0.5 | |
Adipocytes (fat cells) | 0.2 | |
Dermal fibroblasts | 0.1 | |
Muscle cells | 0.001 | |
Other cells | 2.0 |
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Part of a series of lists about |
Human anatomy |
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There are many different types of cells in the human body.
Cells derived primarily from endoderm[]
Exocrine secretory epithelial cells.[]
- Brunner's gland cell in duodenum (enzymes and alkaline mucus)
- Insulated goblet cell of respiratory and digestive tracts (mucus secretion)
- Stomach
- Foveolar cell (mucus secretion)
- Chief cell (pepsinogen secretion)
- Parietal cell (hydrochloric acid secretion)
- Pancreatic acinar cell (bicarbonate and digestive enzyme secretion)
- Paneth cell of small intestine (lysozyme secretion)
- Type II pneumocyte of lung (surfactant secretion)
- Club cell of lung
Barrier cells[]
- Type I pneumocyte (lung)
- Gall bladder epithelial cell
- Centroacinar cell (pancreas)
- Intercalated duct cell (pancreas)
- Intestinal brush border cell (with microvilli)
Hormone-secreting cells[]
- Enteroendocrine cell
- K cell (secretes gastric inhibitory peptide)
- L cell (secretes glucagon-like peptide-1, peptide YY3-36, oxyntomodulin, and glucagon-like peptide-2)
- I cell (secretes cholecystokinin (CCK))
- G cell (secretes gastrin)
- Enterochromaffin cell (secretes serotonin)
- Enterochromaffin-like cell (secretes histamine)
- N cell (secretes neurotensin)
- S cell (secretes secretin)
- D cell (secretes somatostatin)
- Mo cell (or M cell) (secretes motilin)
- other hormones secreted: vasoactive intestinal peptide, substance P, alpha and gamma-endorphin, bombesin
- Thyroid gland cells
- Thyroid epithelial cell
- Parafollicular cell
- Parathyroid gland cells
- Pancreatic islets (islets of Langerhans)
- Alpha cell (secretes glucagon)
- Beta cell (secretes insulin and amylin)
- Delta cell (secretes somatostatin)
- Epsilon cell (secretes ghrelin)
- PP cell (gamma cell) (secretes pancreatic polypeptide)
Cells derived primarily from ectoderm[]
Exocrine secretory epithelial cells[]
- Salivary gland mucous cell
- Salivary gland serous cell
- Von Ebner's gland cell in tongue (washes taste buds)
- Mammary gland cell (milk secretion)
- Lacrimal gland cell (tear secretion)
- Ceruminous gland cell in ear (earwax secretion)
- Eccrine sweat gland dark cell (glycoprotein secretion)
- Eccrine sweat gland clear cell (small molecule secretion)
- Apocrine sweat gland cell (odoriferous secretion, sex-hormone sensitive)
- Gland of Moll cell in eyelid (specialized sweat gland)
- Sebaceous gland cell (lipid-rich sebum secretion)
- Bowman's gland cell in nose (washes olfactory epithelium)
Hormone-secreting cells[]
- Anterior/Intermediate pituitary cells
- Corticotropes
- Gonadotropes
- Lactotropes
- Melanotropes
- Somatotropes
- Thyrotropes
- Magnocellular neurosecretory cells, secrete oxytocin and vasopressin
- Parvocellular neurosecretory cells, secrete thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), vasopressin, oxytocin, neurotensin, and prolactin
- Chromaffin cells (adrenal gland)
Epithelial cells[]
- Keratinocyte (differentiating epidermal cell)
- Epidermal basal cell (stem cell)
- Melanocyte
- Trichocyte (gives rise to hair and nail cells)
- Medullary hair shaft cell
- Cortical hair shaft cell
- Cuticular hair shaft cell
- Huxley's layer hair root sheath cell
- Henle's layer hair root sheath cell
- Outer root sheath hair cell
- Surface epithelial cell of cornea, tongue, mouth, nasal cavity, distal anal canal, distal urethra, and distal vagina
- basal cell (stem cell) of cornea, tongue, mouth, nasal cavity, distal anal canal, distal urethra, and distal vagina
- Intercalated duct cell (salivary glands)
- Striated duct cell (salivary glands)
- Lactiferous duct cell (mammary glands)
- Ameloblast (deposit tooth enamel)
Oral cells[]
- Odontoblast (tooth dentin formation)
- Cementoblast (tooth cementum formation)
Nervous system[]
There are nerve cells, also known as neurons, present in our human body. They are branched out. These cells make up nervous tissue. A neuron consists of a cell body with a nucleus and cytoplasm, from which long thin hair-like parts arise.
Sensory transducer cells[]
- Auditory inner hair cells of organ of Corti
- Auditory outer hair cells of organ of Corti
- Basal cells of olfactory epithelium (stem cell for olfactory neurons)
- Cold-sensitive primary sensory neurons
- Heat-sensitive primary sensory neurons
- Merkel cells of epidermis
- Olfactory receptor neurons
- Pain-sensitive primary sensory neurons
- Photoreceptor cells of retina in eye:
- Photoreceptor rod cells
- Photoreceptor blue-sensitive cone cells of eye
- Photoreceptor green-sensitive cone cells of eye
- Photoreceptor red-sensitive cone cells of eye
- Proprioceptive primary sensory neurons
- Touch-sensitive primary sensory neurons
- Chemoreceptor glomus cells of carotid body cell (blood pH sensor)
- Outer hair cells of vestibular system of ear (acceleration and gravity)
- Inner hair cells of vestibular system of ear (acceleration and gravity)
- Taste receptor cells of taste bud
Autonomic neuron cells[]
- Cholinergic neurons (various types)
- Adrenergic neural cells (various types)
- Peptidergic neural cells (various types)
Sense organ and peripheral neuron supporting cells[]
- Inner pillar cells of organ of Corti
- Outer pillar cells of organ of Corti
- Inner phalangeal cells of organ of Corti
- Outer phalangeal cells of organ of Corti
- Border cells of organ of Corti
- Hensen's cells of organ of Corti
- Vestibular apparatus supporting cells
- Taste bud supporting cells
- Olfactory epithelium supporting cells
- Olfactory ensheathing cells
- Schwann cells
- Satellite glial cells
- Enteric glial cells
Central nervous system neurons and glial cells[]
- Neuron cells (large variety of types, still poorly classified)
- Interneurons
- Principal cells
- Spindle neurons
- Pyramidal cells
- Place cells
- Grid cells
- Speed cells
- Head direction cells
- Betz cells
- Stellate cells
- Bushy cells
- Purkinje cells
- Medium spiny neurons
- Astrocytes
- Oligodendrocytes
- Ependymal cells
- Pituicytes
Lens cells[]
Cells derived primarily from mesoderm[]
Metabolism and storage cells[]
- Adipocytes:
- White fat cell
- Brown fat cell
- Liver lipocyte
Secretory cells[]
- Cells of the Adrenal cortex
- Cells of the Zona glomerulosa produce mineralocorticoids
- Cells of the Zona fasciculata produce glucocorticoids
- Cells of the Zona reticularis produce androgens
- Theca interna cell of ovarian follicle secreting estrogen
- Corpus luteum cell of ruptured ovarian follicle secreting progesterone
- Granulosa lutein cells
- Theca lutein cells
- Leydig cell of testes secreting testosterone
- Seminal vesicle cell (secretes seminal fluid components, including fructose for swimming sperm)
- Prostate gland cell (secretes seminal fluid components)
- Bulbourethral gland cell (mucus secretion)
- Bartholin's gland cell (vaginal lubricant secretion)
- Gland of Littre cell (mucus secretion)
- Uterus endometrium cell (carbohydrate secretion)
- Juxtaglomerular cell (renin secretion)
- Macula densa cell of kidney
- of kidney
- Mesangial cell of kidney
Barrier cells[]
Urinary system[]
- Parietal epithelial cell
- Podocyte
- Proximal tubule brush border cell
- Loop of Henle thin segment cell
- Kidney distal tubule cell
- Kidney collecting duct cell
- Principal cell
- Intercalated cell
- Transitional epithelium (lining urinary bladder)
Reproductive system[]
- Duct cell (of seminal vesicle, prostate gland, etc.)
- Efferent ducts cell
- Epididymal principal cell
- Epididymal basal cell
Circulatory system[]
- Endothelial cells
Extracellular matrix cells[]
- Planum semilunatum epithelial cell of vestibular system of ear (proteoglycan secretion)
- Organ of Corti interdental epithelial cell (secreting tectorial membrane covering hair cells)
- Loose connective tissue fibroblasts
- Corneal fibroblasts (corneal keratocytes)
- Tendon fibroblasts
- Bone marrow reticular tissue fibroblasts
- Other nonepithelial fibroblasts
- Pericyte
- Hepatic stellate cell (Ito cell)
- Nucleus pulposus cell of intervertebral disc
- Hyaline cartilage chondrocyte
- Fibrocartilage chondrocyte
- Elastic cartilage chondrocyte
- Osteoblast/osteocyte
- Osteoprogenitor cell (stem cell of osteoblasts)
- Hyalocyte of vitreous body of eye
- Stellate cell of perilymphatic space of ear
- Pancreatic stellate cell
Note: Cephalic connective tissue and bones are derived from the Cranial neural crest which comes from the ectoderm germ layer
Contractile cells[]
- Skeletal muscle cells
- Red skeletal muscle cell (slow twitch)
- White skeletal muscle cell (fast twitch)
- Intermediate skeletal muscle cell
- Nuclear bag cell of muscle spindle
- Nuclear chain cell of muscle spindle
- Myosatellite cell (stem cell)
- Cardiac muscle cells
- Cardiac muscle cell
- SA node cell
- Purkinje fiber cell
- Smooth muscle cell (various types)
- Myoepithelial cell of iris
- Myoepithelial cell of exocrine glands
Blood and immune system cells[]
- Erythrocyte (red blood cell) and precursor erythroblasts
- Megakaryocyte (platelet precursor)
- Platelets if considered distinct cells, currently there's debate on the subject.
- Monocyte (white blood cell)
- Connective tissue macrophage (various types)
- Epidermal Langerhans cell
- Osteoclast (in bone)
- Dendritic cell (in lymphoid tissues)
- Microglial cell (in central nervous system)
- Neutrophil granulocyte and precursors (myeloblast, promyelocyte, myelocyte, metamyelocyte)
- Eosinophil granulocyte and precursors
- Basophil granulocyte and precursors
- Mast cell
- Helper T cell
- Regulatory T cell
- Cytotoxic T cell
- Natural killer T cell
- B cell
- Plasma cell
- Natural killer cell
- Hematopoietic stem cells and committed progenitors for the blood and immune system (various types)
Germ cells (primordially not)[]
- Oogonium/Oocyte
- Spermatid
- Spermatocyte
- Spermatogonium cell (stem cell for spermatocyte)
- Spermatozoon
Nurse cell[]
- Granulosa cell (in ovaries)
- Sertoli cell (in testis)
- Epithelial reticular cell (in thymus)
Interstitial cells[]
- Interstitial kidney cells
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Sender, Ron; Fuchs, Shai; Milo, Ron (2016). "Revised estimates for the number of human and bacteria cells in the body". PLOS Biology. 14 (8): e1002533. bioRxiv 10.1101/036103. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1002533. PMC 4991899. PMID 27541692.
External links[]
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