Parathyroid chief cell
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Phone:617-632-7753
Parathyroid chief cells are cells in the parathyroid glands which produce parathyroid hormone.
The end result of increased secretion by the chief cells of a parathyroid gland is an increase in the serum level of Calcium. Parathyroid chief cells constitute one of the few cell types of the body that regulate intracellular calcium levels as a consequence of extracellular (or serum) changes in calcium concentration.
The calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) is sensitive to an increase in serum calcium, and stimulates the uptake of calcium by the parathyroid chief cell. This mechanism is critically important, as it describes a physiological feed-back loop by which parathyroid hormone secretion is down-regulated in response to a restoration of serum calcium.
See also
External links
- Histology image: 15002loa – Histology Learning System at Boston University
- Histology at University of Southern California end/c_29