Austin Huyboom

11/4/17

Article Summary

Anxiety is a phenomenon that is well known to exist in humans and is also

apparent in other organisms. This research article published by PLOS biology focuses

on the gene called Lef1 which is responsible for the behavior of anxiety. This is an

important topic to cover because learning more about the response and function of this

gene can lead to discoveries which are used to further understand how the circuits of

the mind work. This can lead to a variety of advancements, whether to improve our

understanding of genetics, the anatomy of the mind, or to help improve the quality of life

for people with anxiety by using this knowledge to make advancements in medicine.

This piece of research explores how the Lef1 gene interacts with the nervous

system to inhibit the effects of anxiety and how it differs or resembles similarities from

organism to organism. It also explores this through evolutionary similarities, genetics

and anatomical point of views. This article is intended to observe how the Lef1 gene

varies for different organisms to discover if common signaling pathways are used

between different organisms.

The researchers used three main organisms for this study. Zebrafish, mice and

fruit flies. Whether or not they were chosen depended on weight, behavior, mutations,

and other factors which may skew the results. These are important variables to

consider. For example a test specimen that is mutated may express different results so

non-mutant are compared to mutant organisms. Additionally similar weight, size, and

behavior is important to keep a uniform control so there isnt a large variance between

the tested organisms. For example the non-mutant zebrafish are the control and the

mutant zebrafish are compared against them. The scientists observed brain tissues and
 Austin Huyboom
11/4/17

collected information through image analysis, or observing through a (powerful)

microscope. Human correlation was also studied by using public datasets of

hypothalamic samples (brain samples).

Discoveries and results are as follows. For example, the Lef1 gene is expressed

in both mice and zebrafish but trigger different functions, whereas zebrafish and fruit

flies have similar expression of the gene in their respective organs. Yet, the Lef1 gene

expresses both functionsthat is either apparent in mice or zebrafishin humans.

Additionally, humans share similar expression of this gene with other primates. It is

reasoned that this gene expression has changed throughout evolution, but there is still a

similar behavioral effect from this gene. Lef1 genes are responsible for anxiety in

zebrafish, Lef1 inhibits anxiety in mice, Lef1 is conserved (or similar) between zebrafish

and fruit flies, and both results are expressed in humans.

In conclusion, the results are quite significant because they produced solid

outcomes and it is discovered that the Lef1 gene is used in different organisms for a

common behavioral output, while using different pathways or different means to

achieve the effect of the gene. The results seem to be specific in that the tests mainly

cover only 4 organisms, but it also applies to more general ideas due to the vast

variation in organisms used for this study. The results arent very inconclusive and

provide meaningful answers to these questions, though it is such a vast topic that more

study would prove meaningful.

 Austin Huyboom
11/4/17

Citation

Yuanyuan Xie , Dan Kaufmann , Matthew J. Moulton , Samin Panahi, John A. Gaynes,

Harrison N. Watters, Dingxi Zhou, Hai-Hui Xue, Camille M. Fung, Edward M. Levine,

Anthea Letsou, K. C. Brennan, Richard I. Dorsky. (2017) Lef1- dependent hypothalamic

neurogenesis inhibits anxiety. PLoS Biol 15(8): e2002257.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2002257. Published August 24th, 2017. Accessed

October 29th, 2017.

Additional link to article:

http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.2002257