Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Erin Hong

Using the Endogenous Tagging of B-catenin in Zebrafish to Study WNT Signaling Pathways Implicated in Colon Cancer

WNT signaling pathways are pattern-forming, cell signaling cascades that are significant drivers in embryogenesis, cell development, homeostasis, and tumorigenesis. They involve a major component, a protein called B-catenin, which is implicated downstream in colorectal cancer cell lines. This summer, I will be utilizing genome editing tools and live-organism imaging to study the endogenous form of B-catenin in canonical WNT signaling, by inserting fluorescent proteins into the gene, with the intention to quantify and further understand the protein’s roles in a live organism.

Message To Sponsor

Thank you so much for your generosity; I am so grateful for the opportunity to continue my research this summer! I’ve learned so much from doing research under URAP over the past year, and have really been able to grow as a student and a researcher by deepening my interests in the field. This would not have been possible without your support; thank you again!