MCAT biology mnemonics

August 5, 2007 | By admin In Mcat Exam |

CUT Pye: Cytosine, uracil, and thymine are PYramidines.
Pure As Gold: Guanine and Adenine are Purines.

Never Let Monkeys Eat Bananas:
Neutrophils, Lymphocytes, Monocytes, Eosinophils, Basophils

Maggie May Does Not Smoke: Hardy weinberg requires no:
Mutation
Migration
(genetic) Drift
Nonrandom mating
Selection

for the hormones secreted by the anterior pituitary gland

FLAT PIG

F- FSH
L- LH
A- ACTH
T- TSH

P- Prolactin
I - (ignore)
G- GH

Anterior Pituitary Hormones
“FLAGTOP”

F: Follicle Stimulating Hormone
L: Luteinizing Hormone
A: ACTH
G: Growth Hormone
T: Thyroid Stimulating Hormone
O: MSH - melanOcyte stimulating hormone
P: Prolactin

FSH in males
directly stimulates spermatogenesis - sperm look like “FiSH.” In females, FSH obviously

stimulates ovarian follicles (which secrete estrogens, which stimulate endometrial

proliferation).
LH in males
stimulates androgen secretion so males become “Like Hairy Apes” (LH ? A). Androgens also

stimulate spermatogenesis, so LH also indirectly stimulates spermatogenesis. In females,

LH stimulates the corpus luteum (which secretes estrogens and progesterone, which

stimulate the endometrium).

Autonomic Nervous System

Sympathetic: fight or flight
Parasympathetic: rest and digest
Causes of Deviations from Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

“Maggie May Does Not Smoke”

Mutations, Migration, genetic Drift, Non-random mating, Selection.
Cell Cycle

“Go Sally Go! Make Children!”

G1, S, G2, M, C
Growth phase 1, DNA Synthesis (replication), Growth phase 2, Mitosis, Cytokinesis.

Mitosis
“People Meet And Talk”, or
“PMAT”

Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase, Telophase.
Meiosis

“PMAT x2″

Prophase I, Metaphase I, Anaphase I, Telophase I,
Prophase II, Metaphase II, Anaphase II, Telophase II,
(Note: 4 haploid daughter cells instead of 2 diploid daughter cells)
Chordate Features

“Do Not Pinch People”

Dorsal, hollow nerve cord
Notochord
Pharyngeal slits
Postanal tail
Developmental Stages

“Must Be Good”

Morula, Blastula, Gastrula
Fat-soluble Vitamins

“ADEK”

Vitamins A,D,E, and K
Gastrointestinal Hormones
(i.e. ones that originate from the GI tract)

“Garlic Cloves Smell Exquisite”

Hormone Source Target Triggers Effects
Gastrin Gastric mucosa Stomach Food in stomach, psychic factors Increased HCl secretion

& gastric emptying
Cholecystokinin (CCK) Duodenal mucosa Gallbladder & pancreas Amino acids, peptides,

fatty acids in duodenum Contraction of gallbladder & secretion of pancreatic juice
Secretin Gastric mucosa Pancreas Acid in duodenum Increased bicarbonate secretion
Enterogastrone (gastric inhibitory peptide) Duodenal mucosa Stomach Fat digestion

products in duodenum Decreases gastric emptying

Hormones that Increase Blood Glucose

“STENGG”

Somatotropin (growth hormone)
Thyroid hormones (thyroxine and triiodothyronine)
Epinephrine
Norepinephrine
Glucagon
Glucocorticosteroids
Immunoglobulins

“MADGE”

IgM, IgA, IgD, IgG, IgE
Kingdoms

“My Poor Friend Picks Apples”

Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plants, Animals
Male Reproductive Tract (path of sperm)

“SEVEN UP”

Seminiferous tubules
Epididymis
Vas deferens
Ejaculatory duct
(Nothing)
Urethra
Penis
Menstrual Cycle

“FOL(d) M(a)PS”

Ovarian cycle: Follicular phase, Ovulatory phase, Luteal phase
Menstrual cycle: Menstrual flow, Proliferative phase, Secretory phase
The ovarian cycle controls the menstrual cycle. The cycles begin (day 0) when menstrual

flow starts. At day 14, the luteal and secretory phases begin and last until day 28,

after which the cycles begin again.
Molecular Genetics

“EXons EXpressed, INtrons IN the trash”

DNA expression into mature mRNA
“CUT the PY”

Cytosine, Uracil, and Thiamine are PYrimidines (one-ring structures)
“GAPur”

Guanine and Adenine are PURines (two-ring structures)
“All Tigers Can Growl”

Adenine bonds to Thymine; Cytosine bonds to Guanine
Or, “Pure Silver Taxi”

Purines, A and G, bond to pyrimidines, T and C, respectively
Oxyhemoglobin Dissociation Curve

Think of an exercising muscle for a rightward shift:

Exercising muscle is:

hot,
acidic (lactic acid),
hypercarbic,
and has increased 2,3-DPG.

Exercising muscle benefits from increased oxygen unloading from red blood cells.

Proteases in the Duodenum

“Eat Tender Chicken Chunks Elegantly”

Enterokinase
Trypsin
Chymotrypsin
Carboxypeptidase
Elastase

Note: The first enzyme is produced by intestinal mucosal cells, while the others are

produced in inactive precursor forms by the pancreas.
Enterokinase converts trypsinogen into trypsin
Trypsin converts other trypsinogen molecules into trypsin
Trypsin converts chymotrypsinogen into chymotrypsin
Trypsin converts procarboxypeptidase into carboxypeptidase
Trypsin converts proelastase into elastase
Scientific Method

Inductive Reasoning
“IS GOHH”

Induction: Specific ? General. Or, Observation ? Hypothesis ? Hypothesis-testing.
The inductive process proceeds from specific observations to a general hypothesis.

Deductive Reasoning
“D(o)GS”

Deduction: General ? Specific
The deductive process proceeds from a general hypothesis to predictions about specific

observations.
Sedimentation

Rate of SeDimentation is proportional to Size and Density

More precisely,
terminal velocity of particle ? radius2 x (density - density of medium)
Sizes

“Bowel Movement” or “BM”

A Bacterium is about 1 Micron (1 mm)
A eukaryotic cell is about 10 times larger (10 mm)
A virus is about 100 times smaller (0.01 mm)
Note: these are very, very rough guides. The ranges of sizes are wide.
Striated Muscle

“ZIAH”

Z-line, I-band, A-band, H-zone
Taxonomy

“King Phillip Came Over From Great Spain”

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species
Vertebrate Features

“CEVASACK”

Cephalization
Endoskeleton
Vertebrae
Axial skeleton
Skull
Appendicular skeleton
Closed circulatory system
Kidneys
White Blood Cells

(In order of decreasing numbers.)
“Nobody Likes My Educational Background”
N Neutrophils
L Lymphocytes
M Monocytes
E Eosinophils
B Basophils

SAME DAVE - for spinal cord nerve origins

sensory - afferent
motor - efferent
dorsal - afferent
ventral - efferent

which types of proteins are made on which type of ribosomes:

BRIM GERL

Bound Ribosomes = Integral Membrane, golgi, ER, Lysosome