When a meal lands in your stomach, G cells notice. They send out a messenger called gastrin that says: time to make acid!
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G cells live in the lower part of your stomach, close to where it joins the small intestine. They're tucked between many other lining cells.
A G cell is shaped a bit like a vase. Its thin top reaches the inside of the stomach and has a tiny brush that can sense food. Its wide bottom is full of little bubbles of gastrin.
G cells are a kind of cell that both senses things and makes a hormone. There are many cells like this in your gut!
When G cells sense protein in your food, or feel the stomach stretch, they let gastrin out of their bottom side into the blood.
Gastrin tells other stomach cells to make more acid, and tells the stomach muscles to churn. That helps break your meal down.
Scroll up to the 3D model and press Send gastrin to watch the messenger head into the blood.
By Operation Ouch. A fun video for kids.
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