Chymotrypsinogen is a
proteolytic enzyme and a precursor (
zymogen) of the
digestive enzyme chymotrypsin. It is a single polypetide chain consisting of 245 amino acid residues. It is synthesized in the acinar cells of the
pancreas and stored inside membrane-bounded granules at the apex of the acinar cell. The cell is then stimulated by either a hormonal signal or a nerve impulse and the contents of the granules spill into a duct leading into the
duodenum.