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DR. MIKE MISAMORE |
| Research Interests |
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| My research interests focus on one of the earliest and most critical stages in the life of most organisms — fertilization. I am investigating the cellular, molecular, and biochemical mechanisms that allow gametes (e.g. eggs and sperm) to bind to one another, undergo plasma membrane fusion, and integrate the cellular components of each gamete to form a single-celled zygote. To that ends, I utilize two models system, fertilization in the unicellular green algae Chlamydomonas and fertilization in broadcast spawning bivalves. |
 CHLAMYDOMONAS
FERTILIZATIONChlamydomonas are unicellular, biflagellate green algae that reproduce both asexually through mitosis and sexually through fertilization. Chlamydomonas gametes are of two types, mating type plus and mating type minus. Plus gametes produce a specialized microvillus like structure, the fertilization tubule, which facilitates gamete binding and cell-cell fusion. The fertilization tubule is functionally similar to the tip of many vertebrate and invertebrate sperm. In collaboration with Dr. William Snell at the University of Texas — Southwestern Medical Center, my lab is trying to assemble a working model of a gamete fusion organelle by identifying proteins significant to the Chlamydomonas fertilization tubule. |
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 BIVALVE
FERTILIZATIONOrganisms that release their gametes directly into the environment (broadcast spawn) are very useful models for observing fertilization since gamete binding and fusion occurs outside the female reproductive. The freshwater zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, is an excellent model for studying fertilization due to its remarkable clear egg. In collaboration with Dr. John Lynn at Louisiana State University, my lab is investigating several aspects of zebra mussel fertilization including sperm-egg binding, the mechanisms of sperm entry into the egg, and the relationship between fertilization in marine and freshwater bivalves. |
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