Name: Dr. Anne Carlson

Position: Associate Professor

Research Description:

Ion Channels and Fertilization

Our lab using biophysical tools to study excitable cells. We currently have two research directions, uncovering the earliest events of fertilization, and studying how ion channels are regulated.

Fertilization: Fertilization of an egg by more than one sperm presents one of the earliest barriers to successful reproduction. Fertilization by multiple sperm, a condition known as polyspermy, leads to gross chromosomal abnormalities and is lethal to the developing embryos. Due to these catastrophic consequences, eggs employ multiple processes that protect the protect the nascent embryo. The two most widely studied are called the fast and slow blocks to polyspermy. As their names imply, these blocks occur at different times to fertilization. In the slow block to polyspermy, eggs release material into the extracellular space, and within minutes of its release, this material transforms the egg from a gamete ready for sperm entry, to a structure unable to permit fertilization. The slow block is used by eggs from nearly all sexually reproducing animals. By contrast, the fast block to polyspermy is mainly used by eggs from external fertilizers.

Lab Memberships

Carlson Lab (Principal Investigator/Director)

Contact Information

Address:
Dept. Biological Sciences
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA
USA

Email: acarlson@pitt.edu
Web Page: http://www.biology.pitt.edu/person/anne-carlson