Biology
Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins University
2007
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Faculty
Faculty
Anna Krueger Allen
Emeritus Associate Professor
Department/Office
- Biology
School/College
- College of Arts & Sciences
Biography
Anna received her B.S. in Biology and Environmental Studies from George Washington University in 2001, and her Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University in the Department of Biology in 2007. Her Ph.D. research was on the affects of a specific nuclear hormone receptor (HR39) in reproduction and sperm storage in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, and was conducted under the guidance of Dr. Allan Spradling at the Carnegie Institution for Science- Department of Embryology. She then completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Andy Golden at the National Institutes of Health, where she continued to follow her interests in reproduction by studying a conserved cell cycle regulator, WEE-1.3, involved in C. elegans meiosis and oocyte maturation. In Fall of 2012, she left her post-doc at NIH to take an assistant professor position at Howard University in Washington, DC. At Howard University, she teaches Developmental Biology (BIOL243) and Genetics (BIOL200). In the past, she has been involved in Topics in Anatomy & Physiology (BIOL501) and General Biology (BIOL101).
Education & Expertise
Education
B.S.
Biology and Environmental Studies
George Washington University
2001
Expertise
Genetics, Developmental Biology, Molecular Biology
Academics
Academics
Genetics (BIOL200)
Developmental Biology (BIOL413 / 713)
Research
Research
Specialty
The Allen lab studies the mechanisms by which a high quality gamete, the egg, are generated using the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, as our model system.Funding
Currently Active Research Funding:
Department of Defense Research Award (2018-2022)
Completed Research Funding:
National Institutes of Health R15 Award (2016 - 2021)
DOD Major Research Instrumentation - Spinning Disk Confocal Microscope (2013)
Group Information
Research summary
The overall goal of the Allen lab is to study the mechanisms by which a high quality gamete (the egg) is generated and how that gamete then undergoes one of the most fascinating process in development, fertilization. We use the nematode C. elegans as a model system to study two specific aspects of meiosis: 1) oocyte meiotic arrest and 2) oocyte maturation. To address these issues, we are taking an interdisciplinary approach involving genetics, molecular biology, cytological and biochemical techniques to study C. elegans meiosis.
Currently the lab is working on studying the role of an RNA-binding protein (ETR-1) in oogenesis and also on elucidating a potential non-canonical, non-proteolytic role for subunits of the proteasome in reproduction.
Lab Personnel
Lourds Michelle Fernando (graduate student)
Benedict Quagraine (gradute student)
Caroline Ugoaru (undergraduate student)
Jeandele Elliot (undergraduate student)
Related Articles
Comparison of N- and C-terminally endogenously GFP-tagged WEE-1.3 strains in C. elegans.
Fernando, L.M., Golliday, K., Boateng, R. and Allen, A.K. Comparison of N- and C-terminally endogenously GFP-tagged WEE-1.3 strains in C. elegans. microPublication Biology. January 2021. https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.000353
The Caenorhabditis elegans proteasome subunit RPN-12 is required for hermaphrodite germline sex determination and oocyte quality
Fernando, L.M., Elliot, J. and Allen, A.K. The Caenorhabditis elegans proteasome subunit RPN-12 is required for hermaphrodite germline sex determination and oocyte quality. Developmental Dynamics. Accepted 31 July 2020.
Loss of proteasome subunit RPN-12 causes an increased mean lifespan at a higher temperature in C. elegans
Fernando, L.M., Nguyen, V., Hansen, T., Golden, A., and Allen, A.K. Loss of proteasome subunit RPN-12 causes an increased mean lifespan at a higher temperature in C. elegans. microPublication Biology. April 2020. https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.000234.
Facilitating Growth through Frustration: Using Genomics Research in a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience
Lopatto, D., Rosenwald, A.G., DiAngelo, J.R., Hark, A.T., Skerritt, M., Waersik, M., Allen, A.K., et al. Facilitating Growth through Frustration: Using Genomics Research in a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education. Vol. 21, No. 1, 2020.
Mini-course based undergraduate research experience: Impact on student understanding of STEM research and interest in STEM programs.
Tootle, T.L., Hoffman, D., Allen, A.K., Spracklen, A., Groen, C., and D. Keplsh. Mini-course based undergraduate research experience: Impact on student understanding of STEM research and interest in STEM programs. Journal of College Science Teaching. Accepted November 2018.
An Educational Primer for Use with “The Identification of a Novel Mutant Allele of topoisomerase II ...
Boateng, R. and Allen, A.K. New Role for an Old Protein: An Educational Primer for Use with “The Identification of a Novel Mutant Allele of topoisomerase II in Caenorhabditis elegans Reveals a Unique Role in Chromosome Segregation During Spermatogenesis” Genetics 2018 Jan 208 (1), 79-88.
The GEP: Crowd-Sourcing Big Data Analysis with Undergraduates.
Elgin, S.C., Hauser C., Holzen, T.M., Jones, C., Kleinschmit A., Leatherman, J., and Genomics Education Partnership*. The GEP: Crowd-Sourcing Big Data Analysis with Undergraduates. Trends Genet. Epub December 6th, 2016. (Dr. Allen is part of the GEP)
An RNAi-based suppressor screen for interactors of the Myt1 ortholog of C. elegans.
Allen, A.K., Nesmith, J.E. and Golden A. An RNAi-based suppressor screen for interactors of the Myt1 ortholog of C. elegans. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics 2014 December 4(12), 2329-2343
Novel functions for the RNA-binding protein ETR-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans reproduction
Boateng R, Nguyen KCQ, Hall DH, Golden A, Allen AK. Novel functions for the RNA-binding protein ETR-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans reproduction and engulfment of germline apoptotic cell corpses. Dev Biol. 2017 Sep 1;429(1):306-320
emb-1 encodes the APC16 subunit of the Caenorhabditis elegans Anaphase-Promoting Complex.
Shakes, D.C., Allen, A.K., Albert, K.M., and Golden, A. emb-1 encodes the APC16 subunit of the Caenorhabditis elegans Anaphase-Promoting Complex. Genetics 2011 Oct 189:549-560.)
The SF-1-like nuclear hormone receptor Hr39 regulated Drosophila female reproductive tract development and function
Allen, A.K. and Spradling, A.C. The SF-1-like nuclear hormone receptor Hr39 regulated Drosophila female reproductive tract development and function. Dev 2008 Jan 135(2):311-21.