Mnemonics

Amino Acids Metabolism

• Essential Amino Acids:
  Mnemonic: PVT TIM HALL
  Phenylalanine, Valine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Isoleucine, Methionine, Histidine, Arginine, Leucine, Lysine
• Branched Chain Amino Acids:
  Mnemonic: LEVIS
  Leucine, Valine, Isoleucine
• Aromatic Amino Acids:
  Mnemonic: FAT YoU WhiP
  Phenylalanine (F), Tyrosine (Y), Tryptophan (W)
• Nonpolar (hydrophobic) Amino Acids:
  Mnemonic: GAVLIMP
  Glycine, Alanine, Valine, Leucine, Isoleucine, Methionine, Proline^[2]
• Basic Amino Acids:
  Mnemonic: HAL Is a Basic Guy
  Histidine, Arginine, Lysine

• Branched Chain Amino Acid Disorders:
  Mnemonic: I Love Vermont Maple Syrup from Trees
  (Isoleucine, Leucine, Valine — Maple Syrup Urine Disease)
• Urea Cycle Enzymes:
  Mnemonic: Ordinarily, Careless Crappers Are Also Frivolous About Urination
  • Ornithine transcarbamylase
  • Carbamoyl phosphate synthetase
  • Citrulline
  • Argininosuccinate synthetase
  • Argininosuccinate
  • Fumarate
  • Arginase
  • Urease

Carbohydrate Metabolism

• Glycolysis (Enzymes):
  Mnemonic: Helen Paints Pictures Along The Training Grounds Praying People Envy
  • Hexokinase
  • Phospho-glucose isomerase
  • Phosphofructokinase
  • Aldolase
  • Triose phosphate isomerase
  • Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase
  • Phosphoglycerate kinase
  • Phosphoglycerate mutase
  • Enolase
  • Pyruvate kinase

 

• Citric Acid (Krebs) Cycle (Compounds):
  Mnemonic: Oh! Can I Keep Some Succinate For Myself?
  • Oxaloacetate
  • Citrate
  • Isocitrate
  • α-Ketoglutarate
  • Succinyl-CoA
  • Succinate
  • Fumarate
  • Malate
• Pentose Phosphate Pathway (Oxidative):
  Mnemonic: Great Gorillas Not Give Rundown
  • Glucose-6-phosphate
  • 6-phosphogluconolactone
  • 6-phosphogluconate
  • Ribulose-5-phosphate
  • Ribose-5-phosphate

 

• Rate-Limiting Enzymes :
  • Glycolysis: Phosphofructokinase (Remember the “P” in glycolysis and in PFK)
  • Gluconeogenesis: Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (“Fructose backwards” pathway)
  • TCA Cycle: Isocitrate Dehydrogenase (“ISO-take the Lead, Key regulator”)

• Glycogen Storage Diseases:
  Mnemonic: Very Poor Carbohydrate And Metabolism
  Von Gierke’s, Pompe, Cori, Anderson’s disease, McArdle (type I-V)

 

Lipid Metabolism

• Dicarboxylic Acids (C2–C10):
  Mnemonic: Oh My, Such Good Apple Pie, Sweet As Sugar!
  Oxalic, Malonic, Succinic, Glutaric, Adipic, Pimelic, Suberic, Azelaic, Sebacic
• Fatty Acid β-oxidation:
  Mnemonic: Always Call Cathy For Help
  • Acyl-CoA synthetase
  • Carnitine palmitoyltransferase I
  • Carnitine palmitoyltransferase II
  • Fatty acyl-CoA dehydrogenase
  • Hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase

Enzymes 

• Six Classes of Enzymes:
  Mnemonic: OTH LIL
  • Oxidoreductase
  • Transferase
  • Hydrolase
  • Lyase
  • Isomerase
  • Ligase

Vitamins 

• Fat-Soluble Vitamins:
  Mnemonic: KADE is Fat!
  K, A, D, E are fat-soluble vitamins^[9]
• Water-Soluble Vitamins:
  Mnemonic: Come Bathe In the Water (C and B vitamins)
  • Vitamin C and B-complex
• Vitamin B Deficiencies:
  • B1 (Thiamine): BeriBeri—“Wet and dry, think nerves and heart.”
  • B3 (Niacin): The 4 D’s: Dermatitis, Diarrhea, Dementia, Death

Nucleic Acids

• Purines:
  Mnemonic: PURe As Gold
  Purines = Adenine, Guanine (2 rings)
• Pyrimidines:
  Mnemonic: CUT the Py
  Cytosine, Uracil, Thymine (1 ring each)

Acid-base Balance

• Causes of metabolic acidosis with increased anion gap:
  Mnemonic: MUDPILES
  • Methanol, Uremia, Diabetic ketoacidosis, Propylene glycol, Isoniazid/Iron, Lactic acidosis, Ethylene glycol, Salicylates