Ann O. Sperry, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

B.S., Texas A&M University
Ph.D., Rice University
Research Fellow, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

office: Brody 7N-59A
telephone: 252-744-2841
e-mail: sperrya@ecu.edu

| Research | Selected Publications | Current Funding | Staff and Students |

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Research
Studies in our laboratory are focused on the mammalian cytoskeleton. In particular, we would like to understand how different molecular motor proteins participate in the cytoskeletal changes of development. We have chosen mammalian spermatogenesis as our experimental system because of the dramatic rearrangements of the germ cell cytoskeleton that occur during this developmental program. Our work focuses on the kinesin class of molecular motors that move cargoes such as vesicles, proteins, and RNA along microtubule tracks within cells. Currently, we are studying a subgroup of kinesins that includes several isoforms with different roles in intracellular motility. One isoform, KIFC5A, is involved in formation of the microtubule spindle in cell division. The second isoform called KIFC1 plays a role in transformation of the spermatid nucleus during sperm maturation. Together these motor proteins participate in remodeling of the germ cell cytoskeleton that is crucial to production of viable sperm. We would like to understand the different roles and modes of regulation of these interesting proteins. An improved understanding of the changes in motor proteins during normal development may reveal clues regarding abnormal cell growth and development due to alterations of these proteins.

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Selected Publications
Sperry, A.O., and L.-P.Zhao. 1996. Kinesin-related proteins in the mammalian testes: candidate motors for meiosis and morphogenesis. Mol. Biol. Cell 7: 289-305.

Navolanic, P.M. and A.O. Sperry. 2000. Identification of isoforms of a mitotic motor in mammalian spermatogenesis. Biol. Reprod. 62: 1360-1369.

Zou, Y., C.F. Millette, and A.O. Sperry. 2002. KRP3A and KRP3B: candidate motors for spermatid maturation in the seminiferous epithelium. Biol. Reprod. 66: 843-855.

Yang, W.-X., and A.O. Sperry. 2003. C-Terminal kinesin motor KIFC1 participates in acrosome biogenesis and vesicle transport. Biol. Reprod. 69:1719-1729.

Zhang, Y. and A.O. Sperry. 2004. Comparative analysis of two C-terminal kinesin motor proteins: KIFC1 and KIFC5A. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 58:213-230.

Yang, W.-X., H. Jefferson, and A.O. Sperry. 2006. The molecular motor KIFC1 associates with a complex containing nucleoporin NUP62 that is regulated during development and by the small GTPase RAN. Biol. Reprod. 74: 684-690.

Nath, S., E. Bananis, S. Sarkar, J.W. Murray, R.J. Stockert, A.O. Sperry, and A.W. Wolkoff. 2007. Kif5B and Kifc1 interact and are required for motility and fission of early endocytic vesicles in mouse liver. Mol. Biol. Cell 18: 1839–1849.

Sickles, D.W., A.O. Sperry, A. Testino, and M. Friedman. 2007. Acrylamide effects on kinesin-related proteins of the mitotic/meiotic spindle. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 22: 111–121.

Wang, R., and A.O. Sperry. 2008. Identification of a novel leucine-rich repeat protein and candidate PP1 regulatory subunit expressed in developing spermatids. BMC Cell Biol. 9:9.

Wang, R., A. Kaul, and A.O. Sperry. 2010. TLRR (lrrc67) interacts with PP1 and is associated with a cytoskeletal complex in the testis. Biol. Cell. 102:173–189.

Click PubMed Publications for further listings.

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Current Funding
"A Testis Specific Regulatory Subunit of Protein Phosphatase-1"; Ann O. Sperry, Principal Investigator; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; 10/01/09-09/30/11.

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Staff and Students
Location 7N-59 & 90

Former Students and Post-Doctoral Fellows:

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