glucagon
"If blood glucose drops below this level, glucagon is released to raise the blood glucose levels. Glucagon is like a knife that cuts up glycogen.
Remember that glycogen is a long polymer of glucose molecules stored in the liver."
"Anyway, glucagon is like insulin's arch-enemy, it's antagonist, it's "joker"... if insulin was batman... you get my point. While insulin rushes sugar off to be stored, glucagon breaks down stored energy and rushes off the sugar to be burned."
METAMIA is a free database of analogy and metaphor. Anyone can contribute or search. The subject matter can be anything. Science is popular, but poetry is encouraged. The goal is to integrate our fluid muses with the stark literalism of a relational database. Metamia is like a girdle for your muses, a cognitive girdle.