BIOL 1361 Recitation Exercise

Scientific Skills Exercise: Interpreting Data in Histograms

Part I. Does inactivating the PCSK9 enzyme lower LDL levels in humans?
Researchers interested in genetic factors affecting susceptibility to cardiovascular disease examined the DNA of
15,000 individuals. This screening revealed that 3% of the population sample had a mutation that inactivated
one copy (allele) of the gene for PCSK9, a human liver enzyme. Because mutations that increase PCSK9 activity
increase levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood, the researchers hypothesized that inactivating mutations in this
gene would lower LDL levels. High levels of LDL cholesterol lead to atherosclerosis increasing the risk of heart
attack and stroke. In this exercise, you will examine the results of an experiment they carried out to test this
hypothesis. The researchers measured LDL cholesterol levels in blood plasma from 85 individuals with one
copy of the PCSK9 gene inactivated and from 3,278 wild-type individuals, who had two functional copies of the
PCSK9 gene.

Part II. Reading the Histograms

The results are presented using a form of bar graph called a histogram. In a histogram, the variable on the x-axis
is grouped into ranges. The height of each bar in this histogram represents the percentage of samples that fall
into the range specified on the x-axis for that bar. For example, in the left histogram, about 4% of individuals
studied had plasma LDL cholesterol levels in the 25–50 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter) range.

1. Which group graphed above is the control group and which group is the study group?

2. What percentage of individuals in the study group had an LDL level below 100 mg/dL? (Hint: add the
percentages for the relevant bars.)

Modified from Pearson Mastering Biology and Dr. Lisa Farmer, Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston
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BIOL 1361 Recitation Exercise

3. What percentage of individuals in the control group had an LDL level below 100 mg/dL?

4. Based on these two histograms, what conclusion can you draw?

a. The plasma LDL levels of individuals with an inactivating mutation in the PCSK9 gene are about the
same as those of wild-type individuals.
b. On average, individuals with an inactivating mutation in the PCSK9 gene have higher plasma LDL levels
than wild-type individuals.
c. On average, individuals with increased PCSK9 enzyme activity have higher plasma LDL levels than wild-
type individuals.
d. On average, individuals with an inactivating mutation in the PCSK9 gene have lower plasma LDL levels
than wild-type individuals.

Part III. Making a prediction

1. What does this mean for the risk for cardiovascular disease to compare between the study group and the
control group? In other words, who is more or less likely to get cardiovascular disease?

2. It’s clear that the data in the two histograms are overlapping. What is the best explanation for them
overlapping as much as they do?
a. PCSK9 enzyme activity varies widely among individuals with an inactivating mutation in only one copy
of the PCSK9 gene.
b. Many factors in addition to PCSK9 enzyme activity may affect plasma LDL levels.
c. The sample size of the study group is much smaller than the sample size of the control group.
d. Plasma LDL levels are hard to measure precisely, so the histograms show the spread around the true
value.

3. Comparing these two histograms allowed researchers to draw a conclusion regarding the effect of PCSK9
mutations on LDL cholesterol levels in blood. Now consider two individuals with a plasma LDL level of 160
mg/dL, one from the study group and one from the control group. What do you predict regarding their relative
risk for cardiovascular disease?
a. The risk of the wild-type individual is lower because wild-type individuals had a lower average LDL
level than individuals with an inactivating mutation in one copy of the PCSK9 gene.
b. Their risk is equal because their LDL levels are the same.
c. The risk of the individual from the study group is lower because individuals with an inactivating
mutation in one copy of the PCSK9 gene had a lower average LDL level than wild-type individuals.
d. It is impossible to tell because the histograms overlap so much.

Part IV. Graphing data on a histogram

1. Graph the following data for a third experimental group with two inactivating mutations in the PCSK9 gene:

Modified from Pearson Mastering Biology and Dr. Lisa Farmer, Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston
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BIOL 1361 Recitation Exercise

2. According to the graph of your data, is this third group more, less or equally as likely as the original study and
controls groups to get cardiovascular disease?

3. Calculate the mean of the plasma LDL cholesterol in the experimental group that you just graphed.

Modified from Pearson Mastering Biology and Dr. Lisa Farmer, Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston
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