Anne R. Gaillard Associate Professor Ph.D., Emory University Office: LDB 105H Phone: (936) 294-1549 Fax: (936) 294-3940 E-mail: argaillard@shsu.edu

Research Interests

My research interests focus on studying how motility is regulated in eukaryotic cilia and flagella. These motility organelles have a core structure known as the axoneme that controls movement. My research focuses on characterizing signal transduction molecules that are present in the axoneme, and understanding how these molecules interact to produce movement. Chlamydomonas , a bi-flagellated protist, is used as a model organism for these studies. This research is important to better understand human diseases such as Kartagener's syndrome, a disease associated with immotile cilia and flagella, resulting in infertility, chronic respiratory infections, and situs inversus .

Current Projects

Currently, my laboratory is investigating the role of cGMP-dependent kinase (PKG) in the control of axonemal motility in the Chlamydomonas flagellum. Students in my lab are performing both physiological and pharmacological assays in this study. Other lab members are working to purify a PKG-containing protein complex from the axoneme and identify its components.

My laboratory is also working on dissecting a signaling pathway that involves cAMP-dependent kinase (PKA) in the regulation of I1 dynein activity in the axoneme. Students in lab are taking a genetic approach in the study of this signaling pathway.

Another ongoing project in the laboratory, in collaboration with Dr. Todd Primm, is to identify novel inhibitors of flagellar motility.

Recent Selected Publications

Lutterschmidt, W.I., J.C. Cureton, and A.R. Gaillard. 2010. “Quick” DNA extraction from claw clippings of both fresh and formalin-fixed box turtle (Terrapene ornata) specimens. Herpetological Review. In Press.
 
Evans, S.K., A.A. Pearce, P.K. Ibezim, T.P. Primm, and A.R.Gaillard. 2010. Select acetophenones modulate flagellar motility in Chlamydomonas. Chemical Biology and Drug Design. 75: 333-337.

Wirschell, M., F. Zhao, C. Yang, P. Yang, D. Diener, A.R. Gaillard, J.L. Rosenbaum, and W.S. Sale. Building a radial spoke: flagellar radial spoke protein 3 is a dimer.  Cell Motility and the Cytoskeleton. (2008) 65:238-248.

Gaillard, A.R., L.A. Fox, J.M. Rhea, B. Craige, and W.S. Sale. Disruption of the A-kinase anchoring domian in flagellar radial spoke protein 3 results in unregulated axonemal cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity and abnormal flagellar motility. Molecular Biology of the Cell. (2006) 17: 2626-2635.

Gaillard, A.R., D. Diener, J. Rosenbaum, and W. Sale . Radial spoke protein 3 is an A-kinase anchoring protein (AKAP). Journal of Cell Biology. (2001) 153: 443-448.