Organelles I – Power & Skeleton

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Familial Mediterranean Fever
Organelles I – Power & Skeleton

Time To Read

1–2 minutes

Date Last Modified

June 21, 2026

OVERVIEW

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PART 5

PART 6

PART 7

Quiz

CHART CLUE

The inflammasome is intracellular, pyrin lives in neutrophils, and microtubules – colchicine’s target – are part of the cytoskeleton A network of protein filaments that provide structure, shape, and movement to cells.. The transport half of the module finally explains Stina’s swelling, how an ion channel can trigger inflammation, and how a pump handles colchicine.

The Story

Deep in the neutrophil are mitochondria (power), lysosomes and peroxisomes (cleanup), and the cytoskeleton (structure and movementA fundamental property of life involving motion of the body or its parts.). Among the cytoskeleton are microtubules – the rails the cell crawls along. Those microtubules are exactly what colchicine jams, which is why an ancient plant alkaloid still calms Stina’s attacks.

From Stina’s chart: She later learned her eventual medication, colchicine, comes from the autumn crocus and has calmed inflammation for centuries. Something that old, working that well, hinted her problem was simpler than “stress.”

Compare Stina’s uninfected appendixA small, finger-like pouch attached to the cecum, thought to play a role in immune function. to an infected appendix.

Activity:

Other organellestructures within a cell that perform specialized functions. don’t move the cell – they build its proteinsLarge molecules made of amino acids with various functions in the body.. Including pyrin itself.