Part II – The Lunch
At lunch that Thursday afternoon, Governor Adrienne Baker sat with her aide Benji, Lieutenant Governor Graham
Fitzpatrick, and physician Dr. Kathy Beckham, a trusted advisor and best friend. Over the course of the lunch, the diners
munched on a pre-determined menu of marinated artichoke salad and rosemary encrusted lamp chops with roasted
potatoes and carrots, and discussed the major issue of the governor’s term. The closing of the largest state-supported
hospital had been a lightning rod for controversy, and Dr. Beckham was nervous for her friend. This was a highly
contentious issue, and people with a lot of power and money had a lot to lose if the governor announced the closing of
the hospital, as she was planning to do the following Tuesday during a press conference. While Dr. Beckham hated to
see the hospital close, she was not worried about being able to find a new job. Dr. Beckham locked eyes with her friend
and gave the governor a reassuring smile.
When the dessert finally came out, Governor Baker was thrilled. Pecan pie was her absolute favorite, and after the stress
of discussing the hospital issue, she wanted some comfort food. The governor, the lieutenant governor, and Benji the
aide had no trouble polishing off their entire slices of pie. Dr. Beckham, who did not like pecans and who was feeling
rather full, had one small bite of the pie in order to be polite, but placed her fork down across her plate, signaling the
end of the meal.
Questions
1. Most of the governor’s lunch party just ate pecan pie filled with taxines, a potent mixture of poisons, one of
which is actually a powerful mitotic inhibitor. What is a mitotic inhibitor?
2. Which specific cytoskeletal element is most susceptible to mitotic inhibitors?
3. Describe the function of mitosis in animal cells. Why is mitosis important?