List of distinct cell types in the adult human body

See also: Cell type

There are many different types of cell 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 YY_3-36, 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
  • Parathyroid chief cell
  • Oxyphil cell
• 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 cell of organ of Corti
• Auditory outer hair cell of organ of Corti
• Basal cell of olfactory epithelium (stem cell for olfactory neurons)
• Cold-sensitive primary sensory neurons
• Heat-sensitive primary sensory neurons
• Merkel cell of epidermis (touch sensor)
• Olfactory receptor neuron
• Pain-sensitive primary sensory neurons (various types)
• Photoreceptor cells of retina in eye:
  • Photoreceptor rod cells
  • Photoreceptor blue-sensitive cone cell of eye
  • Photoreceptor green-sensitive cone cell of eye
  • Photoreceptor red-sensitive cone cell of eye
• Proprioceptive primary sensory neurons (various types)
• Touch-sensitive primary sensory neurons (various types)
• Chemoreceptor glomus cells of carotid body cell (blood pH sensor)
• Outer hair cell of vestibular system of ear (acceleration and gravity)
• Inner hair cell of vestibular system of ear (acceleration and gravity)
• Taste receptor cell of taste bud

Autonomic neuron cells

• Cholinergic neuron (various types)
• Adrenergic neural cell (various types)
• Peptidergic neural cell (various types)

Sense organ and peripheral neuron supporting cells

• Inner pillar cell of organ of Corti
• Outer pillar cell of organ of Corti
• Inner phalangeal cell of organ of Corti
• Outer phalangeal cell of organ of Corti
• Border cell of organ of Corti
• Hensen's cells of organ of Corti
• Vestibular apparatus supporting cell
• Taste bud supporting cell
• Olfactory epithelium supporting cell
• Schwann cell
• Satellite glial cell (encapsulating peripheral nerve cell bodies)
• Enteric glial cell

Central nervous system neurons and glial cells

• Neuron cells (large variety of types, still poorly classified)
  • Interneurons
    • Basket cells
    • Cartwheel cells
    • Stellate cells
    • Golgi cells
    • Granule cells
    • Lugaro cells
    • Unipolar brush cells
    • Martinotti cells
    • Chandelier cells
    • Cajal–Retzius cells
    • Double-bouquet cells
    • Neurogliaform cells
    • Retina horizontal cell
    • Amacrine cells
      • Starburst amacrine cells
    • Spinal interneuron
      • Renshaw cells
  • Principal cells
    • Spindle neurons
    • Fork neurons
    • Pyramidal cells
      • Place cells
      • Grid cells
      • Speed cells
      • Head direction cells
      • Betz cells
    • Stellate cells
      • Boundary cells
    • Bushy cell
    • Purkinje cells
    • Medium spiny neurons
• Astrocyte (various types)
• Oligodendrocyte
• Ependymal cells
  • Tanycytes
• Pituicyte

Lens cells

• Anterior lens epithelial cell
• Crystallin-containing lens fiber cell

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
• Peripolar cell 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 cell
  • 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

• 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

• List of human cell types derived from the germ layers

External links

• Human Cell Atlas