University oF MELBOURNe
Member Details

Prof. Moira O’Bryan
Head, Male Infertility and Germ Cell Biology Laboratory
Dean of Science at the University of Melbourne

Biosciences 4
The University of Melbourne
Royal Parade
Parkville VIC 3052
Australia

Telephone: +61 3 9035 5511
Email: moira.obryan@unimelb.edu.au

Team Members
  • Prof. Robert McLachlan – Professor of Research at Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Director of Andrology Australia
  • Dr. Richard Burke – Senior Lecturer in Genetics and Head of the Burke Drosophila lab at Monash University
  • Dr. Travis Johnson – Lecturer, and Head of the Johnson Drosophila lab at Monash University
  • Dr. Brendan Houston – Postdoc in the O’Bryan lab
  • Dr. Jessica Dunleavy – Postdoc in the O’Bryan lab
  • Lachlan Cauchi – PhD student in the O’Bryan and Burke labs
  • Sam Cheers – PhD student in the O’Bryan, Veltman and Johnson labs
  • Amy Luan – PhD student in the O’Bryan, Burke and Conrad labs
Working Group: Lead of the functional validation working group

The functional validation working group aims to definitively prove the link between SNVs identified via the sequencing pipelines and their role in male infertility. In doing so we hope to improve the diagnostic utility of infertility tests developed through the consortium, but to also open up avenues for research into the essential mechanisms required for male fertility.

Member Description

Prof. Moira O’Bryan is a reproductive biologist with expertise in the area of fundamental mechanisms required to produce fertile sperm, the causes of male infertility and the role of sperm structure-function as a driver of evolution. Areas of particular emphasis include the mechanisms of sperm head shaping and cilia/flagellar development and function, genetic causes of human infertility, the importance of epigenetic regulation in male fertility and transgenerational health, and the connection between male fertility and overall health – a concept often referred to as ‘the canary in the coalmine hypothesis’. To achieve these aims, her laboratory uses a range of animal and cell models, high end imaging technologies and suites of biochemical and cell biology approaches.
Prof. O’Bryan is the Dean of Science at the University of Melbourne. She currently sits on the editorial boards of Molecular Human Reproduction, Andrology and PLOS Genetics. She, along with Prof. Rob McLachlan from the Hudson Institute of Medical Research, run the Monash Male Infertility Repository.
We aim to identify key mechanisms required for male germ cell development, the aetiology of human male infertility and the interplay between fertility and health. This is achieved using a range of genomic, biochemical and cell biological methods including the development of unique model systems.
The functional validation working group aims to definitively prove the link between SNVs genetic variants identified via the sequencing pipelines and their role in male infertility. In doing so we hope to improve the diagnostic utility of infertility tests developed through the consortium, but to also open avenues for research into the essential mechanisms required for male fertility.

Publications

Houston BJ, Oud MS, Aguirre DM, et al (2020) Programmed Cell Death 2-like ( Pdcd2l ) Is Required for Mouse Embryonic Development. g3.401714.2020.

Houston BJ, Conrad DF, O’Bryan MK (2020) A framework for high-resolution phenotyping of candidate male infertility mutants: from human to mouse. Hum Genet.

Gaikwad AS, Anderson AL, Merriner DJ, et al (2019) GLIPR1L1 is an IZUMO-binding protein required for optimal fertilization in the mouse. BMC Biol 17:86.

Pleuger C, Lehti MS, Cooper M, et al (2019) CBE1 is a manchette and mitochondria associated protein with a potential role in somatic cell proliferation. Endocrinology.

Lim S, Kierzek M, O’Connor AE, et al (2019) CRISP2 Is a Regulator of Multiple Aspects of Sperm Function and Male Fertility. Endocrinology 160:915–924.

Catford S, O’Bryan M, McLachlan R, et al (2019) Germ cell arrest associated with aSETX mutation in ataxia oculomotor apraxia type 2. Reprod Biomed Online 38:961–965.

Dunleavy JEM, Okuda H, O’Connor AE, et al (2017) Katanin-like 2 (KATNAL2) functions in multiple aspects of haploid male germ cell development in the mouse. PLOS Genet 13:e1007078.

Lim SL, Qu ZP, Kortschak RD, et al (2015) HENMT1 and piRNA Stability Are Required for Adult Male Germ Cell Transposon Repression and to Define the Spermatogenic Program in the Mouse. PLOS Genet 11:e1005620.

Liu Y, DeBoer K, de Kretser DM, et al (2015) LRGUK-1 Is Required for Basal Body and Manchette Function during Spermatogenesis and Male Fertility. PLOS Genet 11:e1005090.

O’Bryan MK, Clark BJ, McLaughlin EA, et al (2013) RBM5 Is a Male Germ Cell Splicing Factor and Is Required for Spermatid Differentiation and Male Fertility. PLoS Genet 9:e1003628.

Lo JCY, Jamsai D, O’Connor AE, et al (2012) RAB-Like 2 Has an Essential Role in Male Fertility, Sperm Intra-Flagellar Transport, and Tail Assembly. PLoS Genet 8:e1002969.

Catford SR, McLachlan RI, O’Bryan MK, Halliday JL (2017) Long-term follow-up of intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection-conceived offspring compared with in vitro fertilization-conceived offspring: a systematic review of health outcomes beyond the neonatal period. Andrology 5:610–621.

Funding

2017-2020:  National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia. Lead CIs: MK O’Bryan, KI Aston, DF Conrad, JA Veltman. APP1120356

2018-2020: ARC Discovery Project. Mechanisms of manchette function. CI: Moira O’Bryan. DP180100533.

2018-2020: NHMRC Project Grant. Microtubule severing: a role in mammalian oocyte and embryo viability? CIs: John Carroll, Moira O’Bryan, Greg FitzHarris. APP1146468.

2018-2020: NHMRC Project Grant. Finding the missing katanin. CI: Moira O’Bryan. APP1138014.

2017-2019: NHMRC Partnership Projects. Health and fertility of young men conceived using intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection. Cis: McLachlan, R., Halliday, J., Amor, D. J., Lane, M., McBain, J., O’Bryan, M., Rombauts, L. and Saffery, R.

2017- 2022: Deutsche Forshungsgemeinshaft International Training Grant
International Research Training Grant in the area of Molecular Pathogenesis of Male Reproductive Disorders. Lead CIs: Prof Loveland and Prof Meinhardt, with German CIs: Bergmann, Bhushan, Chakraborty, Diemer, Fijak, Konrad, Linn, Middenforff, Schagdarsurengin, Scheiner-Bobis, Schuppe, Steger, Wagenlehner. Australian CIs: Ellem, Hedger, O’Bryan, O’Donnell, Stanton, Risbridger. Australian AIs: Baker, Hobbs, Loveland. DFG Support: € 4.15 million

2016-2018: ARC Discovery Project. A novel microtubule severing protein involved in male germ cell biology. Moira O’Bryan. DP160100647.

2015-2018: NHMRC Project Grant. The characterisation of an essential regulator of pre-mRNA splicing required for germ cell function and male fertility. CIs: Moira O’Bryan, Duangporn Jamsai, Robin Hobbs. APP1078042.