ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Secretory protein

Okay kiddo, do you know what a protein is? It's like a little building block in your body that helps you grow and stay healthy.

Now, some of these proteins are special because they have a secret job. You know how sometimes you have secret plans or games that you only share with your best friend? That's what these proteins do too - they have a special secret job that only certain parts of your body know about.

We call these proteins "secretory proteins" because they're made in a special part of your cells called the "endoplasmic reticulum" and then sent out to do their secret job. Kind of like how your mom might pack a secret note in your lunchbox before sending you off to school.

These secretory proteins do all kinds of important things in your body. Some help your cells communicate with each other, others help your body fight off germs and infections, and some even help you digest your food.

So, even though they're called "secretory proteins", they're not really keeping secrets from you - they're just doing their special jobs behind the scenes to help you stay healthy and happy!