Â鶹AV

Christian E. Rocheleau

Christian E. Rocheleau, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Medicine
Division of Experimental Medicine
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology
Cell Biology Graduate Program
E02.7242, E Bloc, MUHC Research Institute Glen site
1001 Decarie Blvd., Montreal,ÌýQC, CANADA, H4A 3J1

christian.rocheleau [at] mcgill.ca

Biographical Sketch

A native of Massachusetts, I attendedÌýundergraduate at Assumption College in Worcester (1990-94), where I developedÌýan interest in cell biology and signal transduction.ÌýÌýI pursued theseÌýinterests during my Ph.D. (2000) at the University of Massachusetts MedicalÌýSchool (Worcester) working with Dr. Craig Mello in the Department of CellÌýBiology.ÌýThere I used the then new technique of RNA-mediated interferenceÌý(RNAi) and the emerging genome sequence to elucidate a novel Wnt/MAPK-likeÌýpathway as establishing polarity and cell fates in the early C. elegansÌýembryo.ÌýAs a Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund Postdoctoral fellow IÌýcontinued studies in signal transduction in the Department of Genetics at theÌýUniversity of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) working with Dr. Meera Sundaram (2000-05).ÌýThere I characterized the role of scaffold proteins in theÌýRas/MAPK pathway and identified numerous novel regulators of Ras/MAPKÌýsignaling via mutagenesis screens and RNAi. In 2005 I established my own labÌýin the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine atÌýÂ鶹AV and the MUHC Research Institute as an Assistant ProfessorÌýand Canada Research Chair.ÌýIn 2011 I was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure and joined the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology as anÌýassociate member.

Keywords

VesicularÌýtrafficking, signal transduction, cell biology, genetics, CaenorhabditisÌýelegans

Research or Clinical Activities

Our laboratory studies theÌýmolecular mechanisms of endocrinology using the model organism CaenorhabditisÌýelegans. Hormones and Growth Factors act as signals from one cell to anotherÌýto control various cellular behaviors such as proliferation, differentiation,Ìýand migration. These signals can activate receptors on the cell surface toÌýinitiate a cascade of molecular events that transduce the signal to the cellÌýinterior to elicit a cellular response. The Ras/MAPK pathway can transduceÌýsignals from a variety of receptors to control numerous cellular responsesÌýand inappropriate activation of this pathway can lead to cancer. VesicularÌýtrafficking plays an important role in endocrine signaling, in both theÌýsecretion of hormone signals and in the regulation of downstream signalingÌýevents.ÌýOur research focuses on understanding the mechanisms that regulateÌývesicular trafficking and signal transduction as well as understanding howÌýthese two processes intersect. These fundamental cellular processes areÌýevolutionarily conserved between humans and the nematode C. elegans.ÌýTherefore, we can apply the rapid forward and reverse genetic approachesÌýavailable in C. elegans to identify and characterize new regulators relevantÌýto the development of therapeutics to treat human cancers and endocrineÌýdiseases caused by unregulated signaling and/or vesicular trafficking.

Selected Recent Publications

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MeraÅŸ Ä°,ÌýChotard L, Liontis T,ÌýRatemi Z,ÌýWiles B,ÌýSeo JH, Van Raamsdonk JM andÌýRocheleau CEÌý(2022)ÌýPLoS Genet 18(8): e1010328.


Gauthier KDÌýandÌýRocheleau CEÌý(2021)ÌýMolecular Biology of the CellÌý

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Gauthier KDÌýandÌýRocheleau CEÌý(2021) DevelopmentÌý


Ratemi Z, Kiss RS andÌýRocheleau CEÌý(2019)ÌýmicroPublication BiologyÌý


LawÌýF, SeoÌýJ-H, WangÌýZ, DeLeonÌýJL, BolisÌýY, BrownÌýA, ZongÌýW-X, DuÌýGÌýand RocheleauÌýCEÌý(2017)ÌýJournal ofÌýCell Science

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PubMed Publications –

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