Tuft cells are rare lookouts in your gut lining. They have a tuft on top, like a little paintbrush, and they sound the alarm when unwanted visitors show up.
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Tuft cells are scattered here and there in the lining of your intestines. They are rare, so only a few are mixed in with all the other cells.
A tuft cell is shaped like a bottle. On top it has a tuft of long, stiff, finger-like bits that poke into the gut. The tuft is taller than the tiny brush on the cells around it.
Tuft cells use some of the same sensors as the taste cells on your tongue. In a way, they taste what's inside your gut!
Tuft cells sense chemicals made by unwanted visitors, like tiny worms called parasites.
When they notice them, tuft cells send out signals. The signals call immune cells and tell the gut to make more slime and squeeze harder, which helps wash the visitors away.
Scroll up to the 3D model and press Sound the alarm to see the warning spread.