Josh Hutchins (BIO ’25) and Kevin Wong (Chem ‘26) were accepted to present their research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR). This is a highly prestigious conference that provides undergraduate researchers with an opportunity to present their findings alongside other student researchers from a variety of disciplines.
Hutchins and Wong presented their research on tight junctions and the protein claudin to fellow undergraduate researchers. Their research has many implications for human health, particularly for post-stroke victims. During a stroke, the blood-brain barrier is more open, causing leaks and allowing immune cells to enter the brain. These immune cells can attack healthy neural tissue and lead to other long-term issues like Alzheimer's or dementia. Hutchins' work can assist in determining what sort of drugs and treatments should be developed to fix this leakage. His findings can also help create prescriptions that target brain diseases by briefly opening the barrier to facilitate the flow of treatment, thus improving the lives of post-stroke victims and protecting them from further diseases.
As a result of the conference, Hutchins felt inspired to broaden his research to examine how tight junctions impact chronic diabetic wound healing under the tutelage of Dr. Dario Mizrachi, a professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology. A more detailed account of his research can be found at the bottom of this article.
Participating in the conference changed Hutchins’ understanding of what research can do. “Research is constantly evolving, constantly updating, and it's not actually that difficult to get involved in,” Hutchins mused. “I feel like I’m a part of the human race working towards something cooler than I ever thought.”
As Hutchins reflected on his experiments, he realized just how involved God is in creation and life. “I think the study of microbiology in general has demonstrated to me how perfect the world is that God created,” Hutchins said. “It has strengthened my testimony that we did not arise by chance.”
After graduating next year, Hutchins will apply for medical school. He will carry with him all of the lessons he learned through his research at BYU and his presentation at NCUR. “Being a good physician means being able to understand and contribute to the latest research in your specialty,” he shared. “This means that the best physicians are also scientists, so I am doing what I can right now to learn how to be a good scientist.” You can read all of Hutchins’ published research or apply to NCUR at this website.
A Deep Dive Into Hutchins' Research
Tight junctions operate in membranes between cells and control the membrane’s permeability. For example, human skin contains tight junctions that keep harmful particles and solutes from entering the body. Sometimes, tight junctions are more open, allowing additional materials to enter the organism. This can be hazardous if the membrane is not meant to be permeable.
Claudins are one of many proteins that control the width of the tight junction’s openings. Some claudins, like claudin 1 and claudin 5, have been found to make the tight junctions even tighter, while other claudins have been found to have the opposite effect. However, when put together, the competing adhesive properties make the membrane less permeable. Hutchins tested different versions of claudin proteins, both separately and in conjunction with other claudin proteins, to see how they interact and impact these tight junctions.
Using E. Coli as a model organism, Hutchins and other researchers in the college edited the genomes and added different claudin varieties to different E. Coli while controlling for confounding variables. They then put each E. Coli on a plate to see how tightly grouped the junctions were. A tighter grouping meant the claudin protein made the tight junctions less permeable. Some results were surprising, such as when the combination of claudin 1 and claudin 5 repelled each other rather than clumping. Researchers would have expected claudins that clump to work in tandem with other claudins that perform the same function, but this is not the case.
Another example of tight junctions can be seen in the Atlantic salmon. As the fish migrates from freshwater to saltwater during their lifetime, they have to change the composition of claudins in order to maintain homeostasis, or an internal equilibrium. If the salmon let in too many solutes and salts, it could kill them in the transition. Therefore, claudin 3 and claudin 10 are activated to close the tight junctions and let less particles in. A portion of Hutchins' research expanded this study beyond previously available literature.