Charles Roselli, PHD
Background
My research goal is to obtain an integrated understanding of the steroid-sensitive brain circuitry, neurochemical mechanisms, and the subcellular signaling pathways that mediate the central actions of androgens. A major research focus is the characterization of the aromatase-signaling pathway in neural tissue. Aromatase is a cytochrome P450 enzyme (CYP 19) that catalyzes the conversion of testosterone to estradiol. Although androgens and brain-derived estrogens are believed to act coordinately to regulate brain function, the challenge is to understand the complexity of this interaction at a subcellular, cellular, and systems level. A second research direction in my laboratory aims to understand the cellular mechanism(s) by which herbal preparations inhibit prostate growth and to explore their potential as viable treatments for prostate carcinoma.
Summary of Current Research
Dr. Pike received his undergraduate degree from Williams College in Williamstown, MA in 1978 and his doctoral degree from SUNY in the Department of Chemistry in 1985. He was an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Division of Cardiology in Baltimore, MD (1985-88), Dr. Pike was a faculty member at the Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Disease and Department of Cell Biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham from 1988 to 2008. He joined the AIRC in 2007 as a Visiting Scholar and 2008 as an Associate Scientist and full member of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.
Selected Publications
"Neonatal Testosterone Exposure Protects Adult Male Rats from Stroke.,"
"Ontogeny of Cytochrome P450 Aromatase mRNA Expression in the Developing Sheep Brain,"
"Localization of brain 5α-reductase messenger RNA in mice selectively bred for high chronic alcohol withdrawal severity,"
"Separate critical periods exist for testosterone-induced differentiation of the brain and genitals in sheep,"
"The development of male-oriented behavior in rams,"
