What is an analogy for lysosomes?

A recycling center. Because that's precisely what it is. That's why in lysosomal storage disease, you see all sorts of cellular inclusions leading to cell death and dysfunction, because basically, you have a ton of trash piling up. read more

Another analogy for the lysosome is our digestive system because it helps take out the junk in our body and so does the lysosome for the cell. It might also functions sort of like a garbage disposal, since it breaks down waste. read more

Invading microorganisms, "foreign" biomolecules, and discarded cell organelles are — after material-dependent "pre-processing" — eventually engulfed by lysosomes, inside which the so captured material is broken down to recyclable molecules. read more