About

Troy A. Roepke is an Associate Dean of Faculty Development and Workplace Culture for the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University, where he also serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences. His research focuses on the effect of environmental influences and stresses, both naturally occurring and anthropogenic, on the physiological functions of organisms. Specifically, his interests include the actions of hormones, diets, and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC) on neurophysiological functions controlled by the hypothalamus, such as energy balance, thermoregulation, stress, and reproduction. He investigates membrane-initiated steroid signaling as a mechanism in estrogenic modulation of hypothalamic functions and explores how environmental contaminants may exert toxicity through these pathways. His work also examines the long-term consequences of maternal exposure to low doses of EDCs on offspring physiology, utilizing molecular, cellular, electrophysiological, and whole-animal techniques. Roepke's research areas include sex differences in stress responses in specific brain regions, the role of estrogen receptor signaling on behavior and physiology, and the effects of EDC exposure on hypothalamic activity and hormone sensitivity. He studies the interactions of estrogens, dietary fatty acids, and age on gut microbiome health in female mice. His academic background includes a postdoctoral fellowship in Neuroendocrinology at Oregon Health & Science University, a Ph.D. in Physiology/Reproductive Biology from the University of California at Davis, a Master's in Biology/Marine Biology from San Francisco State University, and a B.S. in Marine Science/Biology from Long Island University, Southampton College. Roepke is committed to fostering diversity and inclusion in STEM, encouraging scholars from underrepresented communities to join his lab.

Research topics

• Internal medicine
• Medicine
• Endocrinology
• Biology
• Environmental health
• Neuroscience
• Chemistry
• Pathology
• Cell biology

Selected publications

• Obesity II: Establishing causal links between chemical exposures and obesity

  Biochemical Pharmacology · 2022 · 187 citations

  • Endocrinology
  • Biology
  • Medicine
  DOI

• Obesity I: Overview and molecular and biochemical mechanisms

  Biochemical Pharmacology · 2022 · 185 citations

  • Endocrinology
  • Biology
  • Internal medicine
  DOI

• Estrogen Deficiency And Diet Differentially Regulate Goblet Cell Count And Inflammation In Gut

  Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · 2021

  • Endocrinology
  • Internal medicine
  • Medicine

  Estrogen is known to regulate many processes in women that protect them from inflammation prior to menopause. Upon menopause and estrogen deficiency, many women experience increased risk for inflammatory-based chronic diseases that can be comorbid with weight gain. Our lab has previously shown increased weight gain and increased intestinal inflammation in ovariectomized (OVX) animals. 4-Vinylcyclohexene dioxide (VCD) is an injectable chemical used to induce menopause and decrease estrogen production. However, the extent to which VCD is like OVX and how VCD may interact with high-fat diets is not well understood. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of estrogen deficiency, via VCD injection, in animals fed diets that contains high (22.5%) and low (1%) amounts of omega-6 fatty acids (LA). METHODS: Forty 4-month old C57BL/6 J female mice were fed a chow diet and injected with either VCD or oil (control). After 4 weeks of injections, mice were fed either 22.5% or 1% LA diets for an additional 4 weeks until sacrifice, accounting for estrous phase. Colon samples were collected and preserved in 3% paraformaldehyde 2% sucrose solution for immunohistochemistry. Tissue staining included (1) Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) to observe goblet cells and (2) the inflammatory marker cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). RESULTS: VCD-injections did not cause significant weight gain in either 22.5% (35.8 ± 2.6 vs 31.7 ± 1.5, p = 0.524; oil vs VCD) or 1% (36.7 ± 2.1 vs 33.2 ± 2.2, p = 0.670; oil vs VCD) LA groups. Mice consuming a 22.5% LA diet had a significantly higher number of goblet cells compared to VCD-injected mice on the same diet (18.0 ± 0.8 vs 13.0 ± 0.5, p = 0.001; oil vs VCD) or 1% LA group (8.4 ± 0.3, p < 0.001). COX-2 expression was highest in oil-injected 22.5% LA animals. CONCLUSION: VCD did not increase weight gain as normally seen with OVX. The 22.5% LA oil-injected animals had the highest inflammation and goblet cell counts. VCD injections did increased the number of goblet cells compared to control, independent of diet. While VCD animals did not have similar body weight changes as seen in OVX, we found that inflammation manifested a compensatory response in goblet cell count which may be an attempt to protect the gut lining from inflammation.

  PublisherDOI

• Chronic Stress Induces Maladaptive Behaviors by Activating Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Signaling in the Mouse Oval Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis

  Journal of Neuroscience · 2020 · 78 citations

  • Endocrinology
  • Internal medicine
  • Chemistry

  Chronic stress and acute activation of oval bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (ovBNST) induces maladaptive behaviors in rodents. However, the precise molecular and electrophysiological mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that chronic variable mild stress activates corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-associated stress signaling and CRH neurons in ovBNST by potentiating mEPSC amplitude and decreasing M-current in male mice. These electrophysiological alterations and maladaptive behaviors were mediated by BNST protein kinase A-dependent CRHR1 signaling. Our results thus highlight the importance of BNST CRH dysfunction in chronic stress-induced disorders.

  DOI

Recent grants

• Sex differences in CRH signaling in the ovBNST underlie effects of chronic stressors

  NIH · $2.4M · 2020–2026

• NIH Grant K99DK083457

  NIH · $180k · 2011

• NIH Grant R00DK083457

  NIH · $925k · 2015

• NIH Grant R21ES027119

  NIH · $540k · 2019

• NIH Grant F32DK079508

  NIH · $50k · 2008

Frequent coauthors

• Ali Yasrebi

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  38 shared

• Oline K. Rønnekleiv

  Oregon Health & Science University

  25 shared

• Martin J. Kelly

  International Paper (United States)

  24 shared

• Kimberly R. Wiersielis

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  16 shared

• Gary N. Cherr

  University of California, Davis

  15 shared

• Martha A. Bosch

  Oregon Health & Science University

  12 shared

• Kyle J. Mamounis

  University of Central Florida

  10 shared

• Jennifer Yang

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  10 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Physiology

  University of California Davis

  2005

• M.S., Biology

  San Francisco State University

  1999

• B.S., Marine Science/biology

  Long Island University, Southampton

  1992

Similar researchers at Rutgers University

• John K-J Lih-153
• Stephen Burleyh-145
• Paul Falkowskih-145
• Joseph DeLucah-119
• Julius Gardinh-117